This Week & Beyond
April 28 to May 4: The East City rocks, day and night
NEWSFLASH! As I write, the horrendous Tokai Fire is still burning with choppers water-bombing the area and more than 100 firefighters on the scene. The public are urged to stay away from the area. Donations of water, energy drinks and bars, and other non-perishable items can be dropped at Lakeside Fire Station. Checkers_sixty60 was one of a number of stores that quickly set up a service so that people could easily donate goods for firefighting and rescue efforts. Follow instructions here
Panoramic view, Sunday, from Cape Town - The Most Beautiful City In The World
We hope and pray for a speedy end to this nightmare.
This Week & Beyond
The Harrington Street precinct has long been a super-cool district without any attitude. We went to a couple of very different events this past weekend at Texas, a venue in the East City that feels a little like Maboneng, in Joburg’s own East City, did in the early days. This was especially so because it felt like half of Jozi was in CT to support artists at an Aloe Aloe event.
From jazz to Afro Beats to house, the music was an eclectic mix and the crowd clearly loved it all. To be honest, it was the crowd that we loved. Highly styled, as opposed to super stylish, Gen Z’s are a very quirkily cool bunch. What looked like a lot of vintage store/pre-loved finds put together so carefully with much attention to detail. Lots of accessorising, folding and layering. The whole place was a catwalk. I can honestly say I didn’t see one item twice.
There was a small-ish tent offering a secret dance floor vibe. You got to the front of the queue, took a pair of earphones and spent 15 minutes on a 90s style dancefloor surrounded by mirrors and strobe lights. We stayed for about 10 minutes. The young ones seemed to be having an absolute blast, but for us Gen Xers, who spent so many hours on dancefloors in our youth it wasn’t exactly a novelty.
I know some of you are not going to believe it but at places like Soho House, the super popular club on Long Street, there is no dance floor (people dance around their tables in their little cliques🤷). That seems much less fun that the mix and mingle of an 80s or 90s dancefloor. Besides how the hell is one supposed to “meet new people” aka “pull a move”. Maybe someone should bring dancefloors back?
The day before Aloe Aloe we had dropped in to ‘Love Boat’ at Texas, same venue, totally different event. The music at Love Boat, as the name suggests, was kinda cheesy and the crowd was a bit less styled. (No cover charge ... just saying.) Still when we left at around 9pm there was a queue around the block.
If you get invited to an event at Texas it is worth checking it out, even just so that you can say you were there; people will talk about it in the future … like the Alexander Bar.
The East City is very cool by day, too. There is a lot to choose from, from Truth Coffee, (“the best coffee shop in the world”) to New York Bagels (our favourite), a busy, buzzy store with fabulous staff and delicious bagels and cheesecake. There is also the wonderful independent book store, the Book Lounge, and the plastic-free grocery store, Nude Foods (see below), the East City is as conscious as it is cool.
The store we’ve all been waiting for
(From January 2018) I am just back from my first visit to Nude Foods, the grocery store we have all been waiting for! I do mean all of us.
The East City also has a collection of three of the very finest restaurants in Cape Town’s very fine fine dining scene. Belly of the Beast, Galjoen and the newest addition Seebamboes. Chef-restaurateurs Anouchka Horn and Neil Swart’s troika of celebrated restaurants in Harrington Street are known for their unusual combinations, absolutely out-of-this-world flavours and the 360-degree intensity of everything. We have yet to try Seebamboes but can vouch for Belly of the Beast and Galjoen as serving some of the best food we have eaten in a lifetime of dedicated feasting.
That’s enough about one neighbourhood, but the East City really is the place to be.
The whole city will come to life on Thursday evening for First Thursdays when stores and galleries stay open late. Expect this First Thursday, being the 1st of May to be even busier than the others. It is a public holiday and everyone is chasing the last rays of summer.
The Art of Our Mother, a walking tour through the public Art of the Cape Town CBD, is a great way to start your evening and get another perspective of the city. Starts at 6pm. Book
There will be a lot of action in town this week, including the Suidoosterfees, which starts on Tuesday April 30 (and runs until May 10). Named after Cape Town’s southeastern wind, aka the Cape Doctor, the festival exists to promote an inclusive, non-racial South African society through the arts, and runs several development projects benefiting emerging writers, singers and performers in the arts community.
Heading a little out of the City Bowl, the Baxter, as ever, has a veritable smorgasboard of great theatre, with just two highlights this week being Hedda Gabler and A Doll’s House Part 2
Staying on the outskirts, Cape Town heritage Tours has a couple of walking tours that promise to dig up more than some old roots and a couple of scandals: Victorian Champions: A Claremont Heritage Walking Tour, Saturday May 3, 2pm and The Protea Village: A Kirstenbosch Heritage Walking Tour, 2pm, Sunday May 4.
something that is way out of town, even a Johannesburger would agree, is the Journey to Jazz Festival in Prince Albert from May 1 to 4. Recommended by some of our most discerning friends, this event promises “a rich tapestry of musical performances, cultural experiences and community engagement”. Plus it is the Karoo! No one regrets a trip to the Karoo. Programme.
Performances take place across four venues: the NG Kerk, The Showroom Theatre, Langhuis (Africa Relish) and the Krittikom Koppie Amphitheatre. The festival also offers a lot of activities, from masterclasses, community workshops, arts and crafts to biking, hiking, ghost tracking, a Witblits tasting at the museum, and stargazing under the brilliant night skies of the Karoo. Find out more.
And last but definitely not least, and much closer to home, The Ash & Brad Show, Celebrating 15 years of the ‘big boys’ duo, is on at the Kalk Bay Theatre until May 3. Tickets
Thanks for the update on the fine-dining experiences. I’ve added them to the bucket list on your recommedation!