Thousands rock up for Bo-Kaap street festival
Thousands of Cape Town residents walked the streets of Bo-Kaap on Saturday during the open air street festival arranged by the City of Cape Town.
There were queues for the delicious treats on offer and restaurants were overwhelmed by the people flocking to get a table.
A makeshift stage hosted rappers Young OG and TDV, soul singer Judah, Mujahid George and the effervescent Loukmaan Adams.
Business owners said they can’t wait for the next event.
“We were exceptionally busy and we are happy that the City arranged this. Next time we will be better prepared,” said Yusuf Abed, manager of Against The Grain restaurant in Wale Street.
“A challenge we need to manage is the seating on the street but other than that there were no problems. Security was on point,” he said.
The owner of Bo-Kaap Deli, Moenier Davids, said the day was “crazy”.
“I did not expect this turnout. The weather was great and the people came out to enjoy. The businesses and street business definitely benefited from this event,” Mr Davids said.
“We should do this more often as everyone here benefits and I can’t wait for the next event,” he added.
Entertainment co-ordinator Mujahidin George thanked the artists for their professionalism.
“We came out of this devastating pandemic and to be able to perform again in front of so many people was great. It was great to work with the artists and the City and it all worked out incredibly well,” said Mr George.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the 40 vendors and business owners were delighted with the event.
“The business owners I spoke to are delighted with Saturday's event. I also enjoyed it, so well done and thank you to all who participated,” Mr Hill-Lewis said.
“One shop owner told me he did a week’s business in a few hours, which is great. This was the whole point - to help our local businesses after the tough Covid-19 time. The event drew 8000 plus people over the course of seven hours,” he said.
