After a three-year hiatus, the picturesque town of Paarl is set to host the 21st Boland Festival next month. This comes after the crowd-pleaser was forced to take a leave of absence due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. However, the festival will return bigger and better than ever. These are the words of Convener Yoesrie Abrahams, Festival Convener & Member of the Paarl Muslim Jamah (PMJ).
“We are pulling out all the stops. We’re so excited that we are finally able to have a festival of this magnitude. We are turning 21 and as we know it is a tradition to have a big bash at that monumental age and we are implementing that mindset,” said Abrahams.
The festival who boasts over thousands of attendees, is set to take place at the Dal Josaphat Stadium from the 28, 29 September and 1 October 2023.
According to Abrahams, attendees can expect to be treated to 150 stalls, exhibitions, fun rides, food stalls, tea garden and top-class entertainment among other spectacles.
“We are so excited to use the opportunity to reconnect with family and friends and this is without the festivities that come with it, purely from a social perspective it is probably the biggest festival of its kind in the Boland,” explained Abrahams.
The inaugural festival took place in 1999 and since then it has blossomed into an unmissable event.
“Paarl stood still during the weekend of the festival and what I mean by that is every single person in the area and its surrounds attended the event and what we have realized is you cannot host a successful event of this magnitude without the backing of your community,” explained 62-year-old PMJ member Hafith Omar Cook.
VOC will pack up its Cape Town studio and make Paarl its base for the entire weekend.
Assistant Festival Convenor, Azhar Moerat said the youth has become more involved with the festival this year.
“One of our main objectives this year was to get the youth more involved in the operational side of the festival and we have ensured that they will run the tea garden and many other stalls related to the PMJ,” smiled Moerat.
Speaking on VOC’s Caravan show on Tuesday evening, chairman of PMJ, Waagied Hendricks explained the importance of the event.
“This isn’t just about raising funds for the PMJ but it is an opportunity to support small businesses across the Cape and beyond,” said Hendricks.
“This event is run by ordinary people that have decided they want to put their community first. We don’t have a huge staff complement or a grand marketing team and for 21 years we have enjoyed the support from our neighbors in Cape Town, Wellington, Stellenbosch, Worcester among others,” explained Hendricks.
“This event can be used as a blueprint to show that if a community stands together for the sake of Allah SWT it will never fail,” added Hendricks.
Per the organizers, bus transport will be available from Cape Town and surrounding areas on the Sunday.
“We will have buses available on the Sunday in the morning and we don’t make a single cent on the bus trip and it’s purely service we are using to show our appreciation to community members who have supported us through the years,” added Abrahams.
“We have decided to keep the prices the same as we did three years ago. We know economic circumstances are difficult and we want people to come out and enjoy themselves. You have 30 days to save,” concluded Abrahams.
Entry fee:
Adults – R35
Pensioners – R15
Children – R10
Bus fares:
Adults – R120 (return bus fare, entry into the ground and includes breakfast)
Children under 12 R80
For more information on how to book a stall contact Mariam Nackerdien 067 067 9923 or 021 8625 440
VOC
