Cape Town’s Rainbow Tree Project Takes Tree Hugging to a Whole New Level

Everyone’s talking about the rainbow-coloured trees in Cape Town’s CBD! A whopping 730 trees have been wrapped in over 3,000 metres of colourful cloth to brighten public spaces in downtown Cape Town. (And yes, no trees were harmed in the making of this campaign!)

The ‘Rainbow Tree Project’ is yet another successful venture by the Central City Improvement District (CCID). They’ve covered the Cape Ash and Fever trees in bright red, blue, yellow, orange and green fabric to “create a positive vibe and encourage people to come back to town.

CCID CEO Tasso Evangelinos says the tree-wrapping is an extension of the CCID’s successful 2020/21 “Come Back To Town” campaign, with the aim of improving the urban environment, stimulating the CBD economy and encouraging people to spend time in town and enjoy themselves.

CCID Urban Management manager Kally Benito says no harm has been done to the trees in the process, explaining “we’ve used small tacks to adhere the fabric, and have not damaged the trunks of the trees.”

For locals and tourists in the area there’s yet another bonus. CCID says: “If you find yourself marvelling at the bursts of colour on the sidewalks in Bree, Waterkant and Christiaan Barnard streets, or on Hertzog Boulevard and Walter Sisulu Avenue, or on Thibault Square and Pier Place or in St Georges Mall, take a selfie next to a tree and tag us on social media #CCIDRainbowTrees and you could win a weekly prize of R100 to be spent at a CBD retailer.”

CCID, as its name implies, “provides top-up services that ensure the Cape Town CBD is safe, clean, caring and open for business.” It was established in 2000 and was the first city improvement district of its kind in South Africa. The CCID is funded by Cape Town CBD property owners.

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#CCIDRainbowTrees #ComeBackToTown #SupportTheCBD