The Green Point Fan Walk came alive with music, dance and revelry on Saturday as the annual Cape Town Carnival kicked off.
Green Point was a sea of brilliant colour as a parade of kwaai floats, giant puppets and 1500 extravagantly costumed performers made their way through streets. The theme this year was “Mother City, Mother Nature’”.
As usual, the City of Cape Town’s fun-loving and bare-chested firemen was a highlight of the carnival.
They were joined by their counterparts in Law Enforcement, and there were loud cheers of delight and admiration from especially the fairer sex in the crowd as the brave men oiled their muscled torsos to show them off better.
For the first time, the firemen also had their own float, which was true to their profession, engulfed in orange flames.
Carol Forbes from Mitchells Plain says for her family, the Carnival is a lekker way to reconnect.
“We gather here every year, the whole family. We got here at 1pm and got a lekker spot to watch the parade and then soema had lunch here.”
Shamilah Khan and her friend Beryl Adams packed their picnic basket and camp chairs and booked their spot at 3pm, four hours ahead of show time.
“We must come early to get lekker seats. I never miss a carnival, we look forward to it every year,” says Shamilah.
Even City Sheriff Alderman JP Smith found himself on a float, saying the carnival “creates all kinds of benefits for the city, from increased tourism to job creation.”
Idols SA 2017 winner Paxton Fielies gave a breathtaking performance to the excited crowd.