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Entertainment Reporter
When Meikles Hotel ushers in 2015 at midnight on New Year’s Eve, it will be doing more than welcoming in another year; the hotel will also be marking the start of its centenary celebration year. The hotel commemorates its 100th anniversary on November 15 2015 and will be undertaking a series of celebratory events in the second half of the year. On new Year’s Eve 2014 into 2015, the hotel will welcome in the special series of events and guests enjoying dinners and parties in the hotel that night will be shown the anniversary logo and told of what lies ahead in the way of celebrations.

The new year will be marked by a spectacular midnight fireworks display on its roof garden, one that is traditionally enjoyed not only by the many guests in the hotel’s function rooms, but also by thousands of Harare people who come down to Africa Unity Square to see the display.

Meikles will host three venues within the hotel: The award-winning La Fontaine Grillroom, where guests will be served a six-course silver service dinner and enjoy dinner-dance music from Vintage Vibes band; a family buffet in The Pavilion, with music from singer-musician Vincent Chitava; and a stylish buffet in The Stewart Rooms, where the theme is Let’s Go Hollywood with dinner-dance music from MIB disco and a cabaret from Faith Ganyau and Brennan Wyngaardt of FabFusion.

The St John’s College Pipe Band in attendance through the night, performing the hotel entrance early in the evening, then in each of the activity venues and finally on the roof garden to play Auld Lang Syne just before the fireworks display at midnight.

Said Alex Zissimatos, food and beverage manager of the hotel: “There are a number of places left in all three venues, but we feel sure these will be fully booked by party night.

“As we usher in our celebratory year we are pulling out all the stops to mark a celebration not only for the hotel, but also for the people of Harare and Zimbabwe, whom we have served for 10 decades and on behalf of whom we have hosted tens of thousands of visitors over 100 years of hospitality.

“Every year since we opened in 1915 Meikles Hotel has hosted a remarkable festive season and we hope that our Christmas and New Year events this year will be as successful as they have always been.

“In addition to the food and entertainment we are laying on prize draws and an opportunity for people to get together and welcome in what we all hope will be a year of opportunity and enjoyment for every Zimbabwean.”