Juvie Boy Entertainers

The annual Cape Minstrel Carnival (Kaapse Klopse) is a historic event dating back from the early 1900s when former slaves would celebrate the New Year by parading and serenading in colourful costumes through the streets of Cape Town. Many years later this rich cultural event has become a way of life with many teams preparing throughout the year for the parade and associated competitions. We were unable to join the thousands of people lining the streets for the parade as we were already headed back home to Pretoria. We were however extremely fortunate to have been invited to join and photograph the “Juvie Boy Entertainers” team a few days before the parade for the first day of competition at the Athlone Stadium.

Our memorable day took us all through the Cape Flats… From a house in Athlone where a detailed Titanic model was built that will lead the procession, to Mitchell’s Plain where we met up with the Juvie Boys preparing for the day. We also stopped in Hanover Park surprising the community marching through the main street and put a smile on the faces of kids at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital. From there all the teams got together at the Athlone Stadium for the first round of judging.

It was a remarkable day with endless photographic opportunities and interesting characters. We would like to thank the Juvie Boys for welcoming us with open arms and wish them all the best with the next few weeks of competition!