Summer is coming to a close, and so are the popular Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts, having had its last show for the season.
According to Sarah Struys, Kirstenbosch’s Events Manager, the 2016/2017 series has been a big success. Despite the fact that attendance has been great, she says that the Kirstenbosch team defines success in different ways, namely: “ [The] commercial side of it, as it is an important source of income to the garden. But in addition to that, we also find it important to draw new audiences to Kirstenbosch, people who may not have initially visited Kirstenbosch.”
She continued: “We’ve had people from different backgrounds, different walks of life, different races, age groups- all attending our different concerts. A lot of them become regular visitors to the gardens, so in that sense, we have achieved that goal.”
Sold-out crowd entertained by Al Bairre, during final Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concert for the year.
Celebrating it’s last hurrah, it seems fitting that Al Bairre had their final performance on Sunday night, where they also ended their career as a band. At this sold-out show, Kirstenbosch-goers were on their feet dancing and singing along during the emotional performance.
Students enjoyed Sunday Fundays this past season, with a line-up that included Matthew Mole, Jesse Clegg, the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, Lira, Jeremy Loops, the Soil, Dan Patlansky, Goldfish, Karen Zoid and Francois van Coke, Mi Casa, Just Ginger, The Rudimentals, Grassy Sparks and Shortstraw.
The concert area has the capacity for 6000 people and many of the shows delivered a full crowd turnout. According to Struys, a minimum of 2000 tickets were sold for some shows.
The concert series has been hosted for 25 years. Unfortunately for students, the gardens will focus on an older crowd during the winter season. According to a member of the Kirstenbosch events team, John Masilo, the gardens will host an upcoming children’s programme for parents and children. However, students can still enjoy the regular art exhibitions and The Open Air Cinema hosted throughout the next few months – Tania Heyns