J’Something of Mi Casa performing on the bandstand at the concert in De Waal Park. PICTURE: Mark Breetzke
After three years, music fans were delighted to be back in De Waal Park on Sunday, December 4, when the first of the series of 10 Concerts in the Park (CITP) began.
The full line-up included Mi Casa, Majozi, Saudiq Khan and the Elkanah School Band.
“Concerts in the Park started 12 years ago,” says Charles Lindsay-Bowman, founder of the non-profit event management company and previous vice-chair of the Friends of the Park.
“However, due to the pandemic, the last performance was back in 2019 so we are thrilled to revive this initiative.”
The next concert is scheduled for Sunday December 18 with Francois van Coke on the bandstand, supported by Tasché .
This year The Learning Initiative has been selected as the CITP’s charity of choice. The team of occupational therapists and teachers work with young children, as well as their parents and teachers at registered créches, to screen and identify those at risk of developmental delays. They then offer support, training, resources and interventions to prepare children for formal schooling.
Concert goers are able to donate to The Learning Initiative when purchasing their tickets.
“The vision for the concerts was the celebration of music, supporting world-class local talent and bringing people together in a family-friendly environment. The De Waal Park is an idyllic location, in the shadow of the most recognisable mountain in the world – the iconic Table Mountain. It’s the perfect place to relax and enjoy a Sunday afternoon concert. It also encourages the community, as a whole, to use and enjoy their public parks.
“What makes these concerts special is that the artists play in an original 1905 Edwardian bandstand which was manufactured by Messrs Walter McFarlane & Co in Glasgow. It was used as an exhibition space in Green Point before being relocated to De Waal Park,” says Lindsay-Bowman.
De Waal Park was Cape Town’s first and largest park, after the Company’s Gardens, when it opened in 1895. It was proclaimed a National Monument on March 22, 1968 and is now listed as a Provincial Heritage Site.
Heuwels Fantasties and Janie Bay will perform on Sunday January 15; and Matthew Mole and Will Linley on Sunday January 29.
Tickets cost R99 each. Children under 13 enter free.
Concerts start at 1pm and finish around 6pm. Gates open at 10am and the park gates close at 7pm.
Visit www.concertsinthepark.net for the complete line up, artist information and tickets.