Taking notes to improve Cape Town Street Parade

Woodstocks Shaheed Fisher from the V&A Minstrels putting on a show for the crowd.

An estimated 80000 peo-ple lined the streets of Cape Town for the annual Tweede Nuwe Jaar minstrel celebration last week.

Organisers say while the Cape Town Street Parade was successful, there is always room for improvement before the 2019 edition.

About 13000 minstrels, representing 60 teams from across the city, made their way through the historic route before ending up at the Bo-Kaap on Tuesday January 2.

Director of the Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association, Muneeb Gambeno, said he had taken notes on where to improve for next year.

“With a brand new team taking on the mammoth task of this event we are very proud of what we achieved in year one. This is just the beginning for us. We would still like to work on timing, and we will be doing a full event team debrief next week where we will go through all elements and discuss the areas where we believe that we can improve,” said Mr Gambeno.

He said the organisation would be seeking further cooperate investment for the event. “The Cape Town Street Parade seeks to be an inclusive carnival for all the people who participate in it and who support it – its stakeholders, communities and all cultures and religions.

“It will build on the long tradition and legacy of the Voorsmaakie and Tweede Nuwe Jaar, with the key aim of unifying the people of the Western Cape, and involving the most vulnerable on the Cape Flats through opportunities for youth and cultural development and employment creation.”

The Voorsmaakie is the informal rehearsal for the parade. “(The parade) is a hugely important part of Cape Town, its people and its history – and vitally important that we keep the tradition going and that it grows with the changing environment of the world as a whole,” said Mr Gambeno.

JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security, and social services, said the organising of the event had run smoothly. Mr Smith said he wanted the event to become something that people travel to Cape Town specifically to see.

“In future, with the right people and effort, the Cape Town Street Parade has the potential to be bigger and grander than ever before, while still maintaining its cultural heritage. This is one of the most important events of the year for Cape Town and receives the most financial support from the City of any event in Cape Town’s calendar.

“This year the City has given more support – both in terms of money and resources.”

Mr Smith said improvements he would like to see include punctuality of the troupes in terms of starting and registration.