From the jingle of commemorative coins to the revving of a Formula 1 engine on the Grand Parade in Cape Town last Sunday.
Racer David Coulthard was the star attraction at the running of the Red Bull Cape Town Circuit in front of the landmark City Hall. The event drew a crowd of petrolheads revelling in the chance to witness the Scot show off his prowess behind the wheel of his Aston Martin racing car.
Arriving at the VIP tent set up behind the stands overlooking the track, I say hello to leggy Cape Town personality Liezel van der Westhuizen, who tells me the "Giraffe" nickname I gave her over a decade ago has become a lucrative cottage industry.
She recently launched her Giraffe Brand Academy, which shows business folk the world over how to "build a powerful and authentic personal brand to take your life and business to the next level".
In walks businessman Iain Banner, rumoured to have played a role in getting DC to sign on to the event. The F1 legend was spotted having dinner with Iain at his HQ restaurant a few months ago.
"He's a good mate," is all Iain would fess up to.
On to the man himself: earlier on, after a quick tour of the track, I found myself inside the building's Grand Hall to listen to David, and to Aunty Pat's replacement, mayor Dan Plato, tell us what to expect on the day.
David, trim in his Formula 1 suit, told us he has a special affection for the city.
"It's the only place, when I have travelled the world, that I wanted to get onto one of these tourist buses - and I did that here," he said.
Later, guests - including Travis Fimmel, the Aussie actor in the Vikings series, Springbok Siya Kolisi and his wife Rachel, singer Chad Saaiman and Expresso presenter Graeme Richards - relished watching antics that included David spinning a few doughnuts.
Equally thrilling were the motorbike stunts of Lithuanian rider Aras Gibieza, and you couldn't fault the cuteness of that V8 engine revving to Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika.
Other musical entertainment came in the form of DJs led by house maestro DJ Ready D and rapper Nasty C.
As for the grub, there were bobotie & onion tartlets and chicken samosas aplenty, and food stations offered us a choice of dishes including lamb bredie, seafood paella, cocktail-sized boerie rolls and harissa-spiced chicken wings.
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