With safety and fun equal priorities, the Bathurst Oxbraai is steadily regaining its status as the area’s social event of the year. The 2024 edition of the iconic event drew close to 600 young people from the area, as well as East London and Gqeberha.
“It’s definitely a good vibe this year,” said organising committee member Megan Renton. She was speaking mid-afternoon on Sunday December 28 as Oxbraai revellers were settling into their camping spots and exploring the tent and beer garden common areas.
Organisers have got the logistics down to a fine art, and by midday the next day, you’d hardly know anything had happened there, other than one or two sleepy stragglers packing up their tents.
Young as the Oxbraai tends to be, there were nevertheless many for whom the event has become an annual tradition.
“There are quite a few who are here for the first time,” Renton said.
With a minimum age limit of 18, it’s a popular first breakaway for many matriculants.
Funds raised by the event go to Shaw Park Country Club and school, with a number of projects in the pipeline including resurfacing the tennis courts and maintaining the cricket pitch. The Shaw Park Country Club is an important venue in the upcoming Pineapple Cricket Tournament. Funds also go to the upkeep of another important Pineapple Tournament venue, Cuylerville Cricket Club.
Lal Purdon, who was part of this year’s organising committee, was in Standard 8 when he attended the very first Oxbraai in 1982.
“It was in Kleinemonde – the only year it was held there,” Purdon said. “There was an ox on the spit, and the music was done on the back of a pineapple truck.
“We were expecting 500 people and 1000 arrived.”
It could have been disastours: there clearly wasn’t enough meat for that many people.
“So we were sent to Port Alfred to buy whatever meat we could find: chops, steaks – anything.”
They saved the day and that first event launched the long-running tradition.
“But Kleinemonde wasn’t the right venue so it moved here to the showgrounds.”
At its peak, the Bathurst Oxbraai drew close to 10 000 and featured three different entertainment areas.
While the offerings are growing every year, this year’s entertainment was kept simple.
“DJ Rich Earth from East London kept the music going for fourteen and a halfg hours,” said event coordinator Jamie Renton.
“It was a mix of old school country, sing-alongs and commercial popular music. We definitely had the right mix because it kept people in the tent until past midnight.”
And of incidents or disruptions, Jamie said, “Zero. We had zero incidents.”
With HiTec operations manager Kenny Knoetze personally overseeing security at the event, and with guards deployed at regular intervals along the site perimeter, it was probably one of the safest places for anyone in Ndlambe to be that nifght.
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This article was first published in Talk of the Town, January 8, 2026. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays
