All aboard! Ever watched James Cameron's famous film Titanic and wondered what you might do in those final moments? Thankfully, no life jackets will be required for this experience. Johannesburg Heritage Foundation, in partnership with The New Titanic Museum SA, invites you to an evening of elegance as they commemorate the 114th anniversary of the Titanic at the Northwards 1904 mansion in Parktown.
Expect a refined three-course menu, complemented by two select vintage wines, as a classical string quartet sets the tone for the evening with a repertoire echoing the music once performed on deck on the night of the disaster.
Note: A cash bar is available at your own cost.
Excitingly, your ticket includes complimentary entry to The New Titanic Museum SA at 27 Boxes in Melville. Here, you can experience the largest Titanic model ever created – aptly named the “Tintanic”, crafted entirely from tin and the first of its kind in the world, proudly housed in South Africa. You’ll also have the opportunity to delve deeper into the ship’s history and uncover insights into the events of that fateful night.
Gino Hart on Tintanic: Inside South Africa’s Titanic-inspired art installation in Johannesburg
We spoke to Gino Hart – an artist, curator at The New Titanic Museum SA and the builder of the Tintanic model – whose lifelong fascination with the Titanic continues to shape his work. He describes the story as endlessly compelling, “like a great Greek drama where everything happens off stage and in the dark a century ago”, adding that from the moment he first heard the name, it never left him.
For Hart, building Tintanic was less a decision and more a calling. “I believe in listening to your heart – that whisper on your shoulder… mine said ‘build it’,” he says.
Hart chose 27 Boxes in Melville for both its creative energy and practical permanence. Drawn to its shipping-container design and artist-led community, he saw it as the perfect, unexpected home for Tintanic – “the beauty in the rough”.
"For many years, we were traveling throughout the country on a national tour – moving the ship around every 30 days, either into storage or into a venue, and it was really time for us to choose a location and stick with it under residency, so that the important work of decorating her more than 4,000 interior spaces on nine different deck levels could continue," he says.
Four fascinating facts: South Africa’s connection to the RMS Titanic
– One of the world’s oldest Titanic survivors was South African-born Edith Brown Haisman, who sailed on the Titanic in April 1912 at age 15 with her parents.
– The original Titanic II concept was proposed in the 1980s by South African businessman Sarel Gous, who suggested building the ship in Durban. However, lacking financial backing and after the plan was rejected by Harland and Wolff (the shipyard in Belfast that built the Titanic), the idea was eventually abandoned, with reports confirming this as late as 2023.
– Robert Hichens, the quartermaster at the wheel of the RMS Titanic when it struck an iceberg, survived the disaster in lifeboat No. 6. He later had links to Joburg through a brother who lived in the city and was said to have frequented the Wemmer Pan Rowing Club after the sinking.
– Herbert Johnston was a 15-year-old apprentice on board the RMS Carpathia – the rescue vessel of the Titanic disaster that picked up 705 survivors. He later settled in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal, and died at 104.
Book Tickets for the Titanic Anniversary Dinner at Nortwards Estate, Johannesburg
Avoid disappointment and steer clear of the iceberg by securing your seat at the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation x The New Titanic Museum’s 114th Anniversary Dinner on Fri, Apr 17, 2026 at 18:30 at the Northwards 1904 mansion. Dress code is black tie.
Tickets are R1 200 p.p. for JHF members, and R1,200 p.p. early bird for non-members until Tue, Mar 31, thereafter R1 400 p.p. Book now.
