Sunday stroll at the beachfront market

On Sunday at about lunchtime, the Damselfly and I headed down to the beachfront for a walk along the stalls at the Kings Beach Fleamarket.  I'm sure many will agree with me that the flea market isn't what it used to be anymore, BUT... and I have to add this as a counter for everybody who keeps saying that going to walk at the flea market is a total waste of time.  Taking a walk through the flea market still is a very enjoyable thing to do, especially on a nice sunny day.  There are so many other markets selling handmade items these days that it really doesn't matter to me what is being sold.  In actual fact, the Kings Beach flea market is ideal for visiting international tourists to pick up some African craft, gifts and souvenirs to take home.  

Splash Festival crowds

It was Splash Festival time again this Easter weekend and after a bit of a damp squib on Friday, the rest of the weekend turned out rather nicely.  I spent some time at Splash as part of the Luister FM outside broadcast on Sunday and was quite impressed with the amount of people around.  When the wresting started the crowd watching was a bit thin but it quickly grew when Kurt Darren did a performance between two of the early bouts.

Other than the normal two stages with entertainment along with all the stalls, this year had some action packed water and beach sports activities as well with jet ski racing, beach volleyball and beach rugby.

Zip Zap Circus at the Wildsfees

I got to attend the opening function of the SPAR Kirkwood Wildfees tonight and the highlight of the evening was definitely the performance of the Cape Town based Zip Zap Circus.  Zip Zap is featured at the Wildfees for the first time this year and is definitely going to be a very popular addition to the festival.  There are no animal acts and the whole performance are acrobatic and comedy related.  Definitely not to be missed.  The Zip Zap Circus times at the festival is Friday 11 am to 12 pm, Saturday 12 pm to 1pm and Sunday 10 am to 11 am.

Splash Festival weekend - video

It is Easter Weekend and time for the annual Splash Festival.  After a few lean years, the municipality allocated a proper budget for this year's event again and hopefully it would mean that quality artists and activities would attract more people back to one of the city's flagship event.  The last few years the event has really been reduced in size and quality but from the look of it this year may just be the turning point again.  That is if the municipality doesn't cut the budget next year again.  Anyhow, to put you in the mood for Splash, I dug out this video of the festival taken in 2012 from YouTube.

The Wildsfees stage was a winner

This past weekend the ABSA Kirkwood Wildsfees took place in the Sundays River Valley (note how I didn't say Kirkwood as I thought the name is quite obvious).  The Wildsfees has really become a serious contender as a "not to be missed Afrikaans music festival" with all the fringe actives and obligatory stalls and entertainment added on.  The highlight of the weekend is the music on the main stage with some of the best and most highly rated Afrikaans artists in South Africa on offer.  This post is basically to highlight the actual stage.  It, along with the big screens and sound attachments are HUGE stretching close to 50 meters from side to side.  Throughout both Friday and Saturday (we didn't stay for the Sunday as both us and my wallet was seriously festivaled out by Sunday morning) the artists kept commenting how impressed they were with the stage and especially the sound.  Kurt Darren even commented how this is the first time in ages that he went on stage for a show without doing a sound check and the sound was perfect.  Makes supporting a festival like this even more worth it. 

Fresh fruit and veg

On Saturday morning I loaded the family into the car and headed out to the Gamtoos Valley west of Port Elizabeth for the annual Patensie Citrus Festival.  There were a couple of reasons for our little outing the first and foremost being the fact that I loaded a boot full of fresh fruit and vegetables for a fraction of what I would have paid for it in a supermarket in the city.  Plus it was absolutely farm fresh.  The Gamtoos Valley isn't called the fresh produce basket of the Eastern Cape for nothing with citrus and potatoes along with a host of other fruit and vegetables being grown here.  But it wasn't all about the produce, it was also about the farming atmosphere, good food, entertainment and other activities on offer.

Priory Fair

Today's post is a case of better late than never.  The reason for being late is the Mohair series I posted last week which started before I downloaded the pictures I took last weekend.  Last Saturday (26 May) the annual Priory Fair took place at St Dominic's Priory.  The Priory Fair is probably the most popular school "fete" in Port Elizabeth and I am just amazed at how many people support it.  We were there early for the book sale and then took a slow walk around looking at all the stalls and exhibitors. Breakfast consisted of bacon and egg rolls and this were followed up a little bit later by caramel pancakes.  The sweets table looked extra yum and I couldn't help but depart there with a syringe full of condense milk.  I had chats at some of the stalls and exhibitors, like my friends at SAMREC, before taking Chaos Boy for a couple of rides at the fun fair.  All in all an awesome day at the Priory Fair.

Splash Fest beach goers

Not everybody heading down to Hobie Beach during the Splash Festival over Easter weekend are there for the festival itself.  Many also go to enjoy the beach and Friday's hot weather meant that a lot of people headed into the water.  Unfortunately for the organisers it was spring high tide over the weekend and the volleyball courts turned into "tidal pools" as the sea pushed itself over the sand walls created to avoid just that.

Splash Fest crowds

The Splash Festival in Port Elizabeth is the biggest 4 day beach festival in South Africa and draws thousands of people to Hobie Beach over Easter weekend.  The beach sport like Beach Volleyball and Beach Rugby are always popular events but the thing that pulls the most people to the festival is Saturday night fireworks display on Shark Rock Pier with people searching out good viewing spots from early on already.

Splash Festival entertainment

The annual 4 day long Splash Festival started at Hobie Beach yesterday and even though the organisers were only officially appointed about three weeks ago the first day was a huge success.  Thousands of festival goers flocked to Hobie Beach to enjoy the fabulous weather as well as the tons of entertainment on offer.  I did a three hour shift at our church's pancake stall and by 3pm when I went off duty we had sold over 900 pancakes already.  Our stall was close to the Coca Cola stage, the festival's secondary stage, and these belly dancers busy shaking strutting their stuff were pulling in quite a crowd.

Sunday morning on the beachfront

Sunday morning was a summers winter morning.  The sun was out with not a cloud in the sky and barely a whisper of wind.  What more can one ask for except perhaps for winter to come to an end now?  We walked around Art in the Park at St Georges Park before heading down to the Kings Beach flea market, both which were packed with people enjoying the glorious weather.

Richmond Hill Street Music Festival

On Saturday the (I think it was the second) annual Richmond Hill Street Music Festival took place.  Over the last couple of years Richmond Hill has proved to be the new in-place as far as trendy restaurants and coffee shops go and most of them participated in the event.  A couple of street blocks were closed off and stages and performance areas were set up.  I popped by for a look around before the crowds started arriving.  This musician was one of the early acts performing on the roundabout in front of the very popular Vovo Telo's.

Jungle Gym Kids display

Drama Princess (in the long tights second from the right) belongs to a Trampoline and Gymnastics Club and her coaches also run the Jungle Gym Kids programme at various pre-schools and creches around town.  They were asked to do a display in the main arena at Saturday's St Dominic's Priory Fate and the crowd watching them seem to have been amazed by the abilities of some of these little kiddies.  In the photo they are busy with their warm up routine before doing their jumps and tumbles.

The gym display was followed by a karate display.  These two karate girls squeezed in in front of me for a better view and I though that it would make a nice picture showing them watching the gym kids.

St Dominic's Priory Fair

One of the most popular school fates in Port Elizabeth must be the annual Priory Fair at St Dominic's Priory in Miramar.  The Fair attracts thousands of people both connected to the school or just interested in what they have on offer.  The school started out as a girls' convent school and then a junior school only.  After the amalgamation of St Dominic's Priory with Marist Brothers College, Holy Rosary Convent and Trinity High, the school now has both a junior school as well as the only independent Catholic High School in Port Elizabeth.  This year's fair was a HUGE success and the organisers are already looking at bigger and better things for next year.

Firefly note: Yesterday when I initially did the post, I typo crept into the title and I spelled Dominic's with a "x" at the end.  As soon as I posted it I noticed the mistake and corrected it.  Unfortunately the post's web address is linked to the title and it doesn't change once the article has been posted.  Mistakes do happen every now and then.  Nobody is pervekt. 

Beachfront flea market

Every Sunday morning the beachfront promenade between the Kings Beach parking area and McArthurs Pool is turned into the Kings Beach Flea Market. Handmade wares share the space with foreigners selling sun glasses and cell phone chargers.  There may be lots of junk (junk being a relative word cause on Sunday my only purchase was a cell phone cover bought from a Nigerian) being sold in between the interesting stuff, but its still worth a hour or so walk enjoying the marvelous sunshine. 

Wholesome Market

On the first Saturday of every month the Wholesome Market takes place at Holmeleigh Farm out on Kragga Kamma Road.  The market started out with a bang towards the latter part of last year and seem to have now settled down into its own rhythm.  Not as big as it was in the beginning, the market still has a very nice blend of hand made items and food products catering for both young and old.  There is also activities for the kids to do while the adults sit and have something to eat while enjoying the entertainment on offer.

Aurora Fete

On Saturday the Aurora Special Care Centre's annual fete took place.  Aurora Hospital is a registered private hospital dedicated to physical rehabilitation and sub acute care of the highest quality.  The fete is always well supported by the community, as it again was on Saturday, and it allows the centre to generate much needed funds for the hospital.  While I was busy browsing through the plant nursery section I heard a Scottish pipe band playing and followed the music to a quad area where the band was playing to residents and visitors. I just love Scottish pipe music and hung around till the end of the performance before heading over to the hand craft section to spend some more money.

Face painting

On Saturday we went to the Lake Farm Centre fete and open day. Its such a good cause that one wants to support them as much as possible. Popsi the Clown was there with all her clown friends and amongst others painted the children's faces. I was so surprised when Chaos Boy asked to be made Batman and not Spider Man as he always does. And what a good job she did.

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Lake Farm Centre has been involved in the care and training of the intellectually disabled since 1959. The Centre was started as a "school" for mentally disabled children with boarding facilities. In 1979 Lake Farm Centre Adult Care was founded as a residential facility with protective workshops. Here training in work-skills i.e. Farming, bakery, hydroponics, pottery, spinning and weaving, home industries, gardening and building maintenance are given. The subsidy of Department of Social Development covers about 30% of their monthly income so they are very reliant on sponsors and fund raising event like this one and the Lake Farm Charity run earlier in the year. Even though I have no involvement or connection to the Lake Farm Centre, I would like to truly thank all volunteers and sponsors for their support of this centre throughout the year.