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Preparation for Tweede Nuwe Street parade in full swing

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As the countdown to the festive season begins, organisers of the Cape Town Street Parade have announced additional partners and a host of new and exciting developments at a launch event held at the Castle on Friday. The Cape Town Street Parade and choral competitions will be presented under the single banner of the Cape Town Street Parade and organisers have promised to deliver a world-class showcase of the best of ‘Klopse’ entertainment at the largest cultural festival in Africa. The event will take place on Saturday 4 January 2020 rather than the traditional date of 2 January, as the sunset of 2 January 2020 coincides with the Friday Jum’ah of the Muslim community.

Minstrel troupes from all areas across Cape Town will perform in the streets of the city centre between Hanover Street in District Six and Rose Street in the Bo Kaap, building on the long tradition and legacy of Tweede Nuwe Jaar which has been celebrated in the Cape for over 110 years.

Previously known as the Tweede Nuwe Jaar Minstrel Parade, the Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association (KKKA) has been the organiser of the new format Cape Town Street Parade since its launch in October 2017. Having worked to build an inclusive carnival for everyone who participates in it over the past two events, the KKKA continues to take into account all its stakeholders, communities and all cultures and religions as it seeks to grow the partnerships that will assist to elevate the Cape Town Street Parade and the choral competitions.

For the 2020 events, MTN South Africa and Samsung will join the City of Cape Town, the Western Cape Government and Coca Cola (Peninsula Beverages) as partners, increasing the scope of what the biggest cultural festival in Africa can offer to the people of Cape Town and the visitors to the Mother City.

Muneeb Gambeno, Director of the KKKA, says the additional support from MTN and Samsung will go a long way to assisting the Cape Town Street Parade to reach new heights.

“MTN and Samsung’s decision to partner with the KKKA and Cape Town Street Parade have various levels of significance, but mostly it is a show of good corporate citizenship. The partnership has the potential of driving the growth of the carnival to the scale and quality to that of other major creole carnivals in the world. This is a massive boost to the KKKA’s mission of contributing to a socially cohesive Cape Town and South Africa through the beautiful tradition of Klopse,” said Gambeno.

Chris Hopkirk, general manager of MTN Western Cape, explained why they came onboard the event.

“MTN has been intimately involved in the music and arts culture in South Africa for well-over 20 years. Not only are we committed to supporting and developing initiatives that foster social cohesion and celebrate our rich and diverse cultural heritage, we take great pride in bringing South Africans closer to their passions. For us, our two-year sponsorship of the Cape Town Street Parade gives us the opportunity to connect fans with the much-loved Klopse culture in ways they weren’t able to before, whilst also connecting the Klopse to increased opportunities to monetise their passion – something which South African artists, no matter how talented they are, are in need of.”

Both the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Government said it remained committed to supporting the Cape Town Street Parade. Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith, said the annual street parade has a massive following and showcases Cape Town in a truly unique fashion.

“The City believes it’s important to support the parade and the rest of the minstrel competitions, and our commitment to this showpiece is evident in the recent decision by the Mayoral Committee to support a proposal for multi-year funding agreements for the minstrel events. This can only mean bigger and better things for the annual street parade, and we wish the organisers well as they put the finishing touches to what we are sure will once more be a top class event.”

The MTN partnership will include the creation of a digital album of songs to celebrate the rich musical heritage of the Cape Town Street Parade. This will be an avenue for the historical institution of the minstrels to grow its audience and monetise some of its content that has been passed on through generations. The different troupes will get an opportunity to submit and record their songs and have them made available on MusicTime!, an independent music-streaming platform that has partnered with MTN in South Africa, as well as on Shortz and Ayoba. The revenue generated from the sale of music, caller tunes and video content will be placed into a fund that will benefit the communities involved.

New content and historical content will be released weekly on the digital platform for #klopsefans to engage with and support their favorite troupes, while downloading ringtones and videos and keeping abreast of troupe activities during the build-up to Cape Town Street Parade and choral competitions.

Klopse fans will be able to win amazing prizes from Samsung, and VIP experiences from MTN when they download their favorite songs or purchase Golden Circle tickets for the Cape Town Street Parade and choral competitions.

Fans can also share their earliest memories and historical footage of the Klopse and other related aspects of significance, such as cooking or costume making. They can share this on the Cape Town Street Parade Facebook page in order to stand a chance to win other amazing prizes.

Entertainment starts from 12h00 on 4 January, with an opening ceremony on the Grand Parade at around 1pm and celebrations will continue up until 10pm. The event expects to draw crowds of between 60 000 and 100 000 people.

The choral competitions will be held at the Athlone Stadium on 1, 11, 18 and 25 January and 1, 8, 15 February. All troupes are required to register with the Cape Town Street Parade by 15 December and can contact Dennis Petersen on denis.petersen@gmail.com or 072 145 1597.

“The troupes and the communities they represent come first when planning for this event, and to this end we are pleased to be adding MTN as a partner, as this will help to provide further platforms for the troupes to gain exposure. We remain grateful for the support from the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Government, as we simply could not put on an event at this level without the financial and logistical support we receive each year.”

Tickets for Golden Circle on 4 January and for the choral competitions are available on Computicket and for the first time this year, fans are able to purchase a discounted season ticket to attend all of the Choral Competitions at Athlone Stadium.

https://tickets.computicket.com/event/cape_town_street_parade/7073230/7122773/42411


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