#hogsbackxmasinjuly Social Media Competitions

#hogsbackxmasinjuly will this year be rewarding active participation in x-mas activities, events and serious shopping reporting, through the use of social media. There will be lots of prizes up for grabs (earphones, speakers, cellphone and lots more from our stall owners) to get everybody tweeting and Facebooking about the event.

So how can you become part of this buzz? All tweets and Facebook posts and comments will earn you an entry into our random prize draw. So get started immediately! Some of the categories that will put you in strong contention for a prize are:

• Stall Mania poses: 
  Visit as many as you can of our exhibitor stalls and strike a pose with the friendly stall owner/goods. Be sure to capture it with your camera and tweet/Facebook it making sure that you include the hashtag #hogsbackxmasinjuly anywhere in your tweet/Facebook post.
  
• Best tweet or Facebook PostThere will also be separate prizes for the "best" Facebook post/comment or tweet about the Festival. So get your grove on and start tweeting! Each entry can be the one picked! So be inspiring....be funny...be hogsbackian. 

• Random tweet
  A tweet will be randomly chosen from the thousands/millions of #hogsbackxmasinjuly tweets  so make sure that you tweet everything and anything using our festival hashtag!
  
• QR code scavenger hunt
  We will be running a separate competition for the bright folk visiting the festival. Be sure to install a QR code reader (e.g. Quickmark) on your cellphone so that you can scan clues to solve some riddles about Hogsback. Entry forms will be on sale at the Visitors Information Centre (VIC) for R20 per entry form. All proceeds will go towards the various charities in Hogsback.

Sooooooo, get those phones out (we know they are out already) and get tweeting, Facebooking and fun-ning!! Just dont forget to add the hashtag #hogsbackxmasinjuly. While you at it....have you liked out Facebook page yet. Click here to like the page and follow our twitter account here. 

To see our live twitter feed, just look to the right of the blog page...... or click on this link

Xmas in July Social meeting

Things are still going full steam ahead for our #hogsbackxmasinjuly festival. We looked at how we can use social media to get the word out there and get people engaged in our outreach projects and planning around the festival.

We were very honoured to have the Nkomkombe representatives present, pledging their support for our festival. It is good to know that all the stakeholders are pulling together to make sure that this year is going to be the biggest and best yet!

How to keep track of #hogsbackxmasinjuly news

• We ask that you go and like our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/hogsbacksaxmasinjuly) to stay up to date with happenings, views and news as it "happen". 
• Please share our posts about the festival with your networks! 
• You can also keep track of interesting tit-bits via our twitter stream by following @hogsbackxmas or searching for our Hashtag #hogsbackxmasinjuly on twitter. Remember to insert our hashtag anywhere into your tweet if you want to show up in our festival stream! 

Getting ready for #hogsbackxmasinjuly !!

For the 2015 Festival, the stalls will be distributed along the main road of Hogsback, starting at Kings Lodge and finishing at the top end of town. The organisers have planned entertainment and buskers all the way up the road, encouraging festival goers to move freely up and down the various markets, stopping off at the music stages, restaurants, pubs, eateries and hotels.

There will be traffic calming in the form of a stop and go on the main road. Limited parking will be available and NO PARKING WILL BE ALLOWED ON THE SIDES OF THE ROAD. Stall holders will be issued with parking disks/car passes and allocated appropriate/convenient parking.

A free shuttle service will be available to all festival goers for the entire weekend. These shuttles will run from the accommodation establishments to the markets and Hobbiton. This services will be available all day and well into the night!

So, get your #hogsbackxmasinjuly spirit on now!!

Xmas in July 2015

Hogsback Xmas in July Winter Festival is going to go BIG this year!

We won't just have the normal tent activities but the WHOLE of Hogsback will be transformed into a Xmas wonderland and with any luck we might even have some snow!

Please check back regularly for updates and notices of our exciting programme in development. The emphasis this year will be on community and fun. There will be lots of stalls all over, next to the roads, at the hotels, with an activity center at Hobbiton where the young ones can play, slide, climb and do. Of course there will be the usual Xmas ox-wagon ride for a gentle meander through the village at a Hogsback pace. 

There is very limited sleeping space available, but you can put your name on a waiting list for cancellations or just come up for the day. There is still camping space available and enough gluehwein to keep you warm. 

The Hobbits are very busy making Xmas hats, and the locals are preparing surprises for everybody. So don't miss out, put it in your diary. Now. 24-26 July 2015.