Save the Date

Its almost my favourite event of the year. Save the date and start hunting for that perfect dress because on Saturday, 30 May, 5 for Change will host its Fourth Annual Black Tie Charity Gala at the iconic Cape Town City Hall, bringing together over 500 of South Africa’s most influential professionals and business people for a spectacular evening dedicated to making a difference in one of Africa's leading cities.

What is 5 For Change you ask? Its a non-profit platform dedicated to promoting organisations which are changing the way we give back. The event was founded in 2012 by three young professionals who were inspired by the examples of black tie galas promoting social transformation abroad and who believed that Cape Town deserved its own black tie event.

Each year 5 For Change selects and showcases 5 social enterprises which are making a difference in the lives of others in unique and innovative ways, and this year's selected beneficiaries are no exception. Click on the links below to find out more about each one.

Beyond Expectation Environmental Project  http://beep.org.za
Generation Ubuntu http:://www.genubuntu.org
MyOwnCup http://www.myowncup.co.za
Read to Rise http://www.readtorise.co.za
Trade-Mark http://www.trade-mark.co.za

To book tickets, donate or for further information please visit the 5 For Change website at www.5forchange.co.za, or email info@5forchange.co.za. 

Now for some ground rules before you start planning that outfit:

 The event is black tie. Not a cocktail party. The hosts have gone to great lengths to ensure a fabulous and classy evening, so your hoochie skirt won't do (and no work suits for the boys either). 

A black tux and long length evening gowns are the proper attire for this kind of event and you're being rude and spoiling the fun if you arrive dressed for a garden brunch. 

While floor length gowns are best, cocktail dresses are acceptable in darker hues such as black, jewel tones or metallics - it is 2015 after all. Again, keep the length classy. If you have to hold it down to dance, you belong at a club, not at a black tie event.

Be bold and embrace fashion. The boys don't have to limit themselves to a black tuxedo. Look to your favourite celebrities at awards ceremonies for inspiration. Even the boys can mix it up if they're feeling brave enough. Just look at Ryan Reynolds below.

Lastly, enjoy it. How often do you really get to dress up like this? Cape Town is so casual most of the time, we never take off our Havaianas. So get glamorous, and have fun and indulge in one night of black tie glitz and glam.

Photos: WENN

5 For Change - Cape Town's chicest annual fundraiser

I am going to go on and say it, 5 For Change is THE must-do Cape Town gala event of the year. It is the one night that Capetonians actually pull finger and attempt to actually adhere to a black-tie dress code and pull out their finery for a good cause.

Sadly, I was unable to make it this year as I was away that weekend for another celebration, so I sent my bestie, blog correspondent, and total hottie Tarryn and the fab Claire from The Studio Group to check it out in my place. This is what went down. Word and photos from Tdog.

I personally look forward to 5 for Change every year as it’s the one time that you get to really go all out and dress to the nines. We're talking black tie here, proper "New York Charity Ball" Black tie, long gorgeous dresses for the ladies and penguin suits for the guys. Now some people in Cape Town get this perfectly right, others clearly didn’t read the memo, which is a little disappointing, but this year most people seemed to make a wonderful effort and it was truly an event to remember.

5 for Change is an annual black tie fundraiser dedicated to raising awareness about five inspiring social enterprises which are changing the way Cape Town gives back.

This year the 5 Beneficiaries involved truly tugged at the heart strings, each one unique in their own way and using the resources and people around them to encourage development through various ways of skill providing and interaction. Everyone deserves a helping hand along the way! Do yourself a favour and check them out.

Milkshed

http://www.milkshed.co.za

I Am Somebody

www.iamsomebody.co.za

Earthchild Project

http://www.earthchildproject.org

Girls and Football SA

www.girlsandfootball.org

Rock Girl

http://www.rockgirlsa.org

The night involved getting to know some of the beneficiaries a bit better and then it was onto the gorgeous canapes and some great entertainment from Louise Day and The Kiffness, the bubbles flowed and the auctioneer spoke too fast for me to understand a word he was saying, but the bids kept coming, I even had a friend who bid on his own bid, he beat himself in the end and took home some amazing wine ;)

All in all 5 for Change 2014 was an amazing night, I danced until the lights came on and the heels came off! I will definitely be back next year!