By the time the last person leaves some time tomorrow morning, around 2000 people will have made their way through the main gate of the Bathurst Showgrounds. The annual event kicked off at 12pm today, Friday December 29, and by the time Talk of the Town got there at 12.30pm, there were already groups putting up their tents under the trees, and on the outskirts of the main arena.
The event was started in 1982 by Francois Vosloo: that story is definitively told by a fine journalist in this Daily Dispatch story from 2015.
The Bathurst Ox Braai serves as a fundraiser for the Shaw Park Country Club, whose facilities are used by schools in the area. Organisers are expecting upwards of 2000 people to come through the gates by the time the event ends. Officially at 7am on Saturday December 30 – but if the spirits and intentions of some of the young people we spoke to are anything to go by, it may be some hours after that when they finally emerge from their tents.
Tickets are only for adults (18 and over) and start at R200. The prices includes DJs and live entertainment, access to the beer garden and bar (no under 18s are allowed), camping for the night, ambulance and security services.
“The idea is to give everyone an old-school, old-fashioned, lots-of-fun, safe space to have a good time,” said coordinator *Kate Muir. “Not a lot of people know, but Ox Braai is actually a fundraiser for our local country club, which has facilities that the local farm schools use. Those facilities have to be maintained and that’s why we host Ox Braai. So the proceeds are going to a really good cause.
“Folk get to come here, set up their campsites, play Beerpong or mini cricket. You can bring your own booze and we have some epic specials at the pub. There’s going to be live music, DJs – and a safe space for people to have fun.”
An important aim is to prevent people from drinking and driving. People who are inebriated or under the weather won;’t be allowed out of the gates.
“We have 24-hour emergency services here, as well as the police and private security. In the end we want people to have lots of fun, but to be safe and just have a good old-fashioned ox braai.”
Talk of the Town declined an invitation to stay until the party got “really cooking… around 1am”.
*An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the event organiser as Cate Pike.
