Cape Town Minstrels Carnival 2026 – Everything You Need To Know!

The iconic Cape Town Minstrel Carnival returns to the Mother City on 5 January 2026.

Now known as the Hollywoodbets Cape Town Street Parade, this annual event is the longest existing carnival in the city and is an integral part of the city’s cultural heritage. Historically this celebration took place on 2 January aka Tweede Nuwe Jaar and the minstrels were to referred to as the Kaapse Klopse – this celebration the Mother City’s biggest event to usher in the New Year.

What To Expect at the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival

Thousands of minstrels in glittery uniforms from a variety of troupes with face paint, hats and parasols march through the city’s roads, playing their signature “ghoema” music on banjos, trumpets and drums. The troupes are spaced out so that each performance happens separately, allowing onlookers to hear each troupe. There is also a structure to each troupe, with non-instrument playing members called “voorlopertjies” leading the way with extravagant dance moves while the band provides the backing soundtrack.

Among this year’s troupe lineup you will see Original D6 Hanover Minstrels, Mitchells Plain Young Tycoons, Phantoms Community Development, Ashwin Willemse Orient Community Development, Young Wild Comanches, Manenberg Superstars, Carnival Boys Youth Development (also known as Crystal Palace), Wild Apache, Baruch Entertainers, CPT Hawkers, Fabulous Seawind Entertainers, and many more.

Experience The Magic 

The parade is set to attract a crowd of 80,000 to 100,000 spectators, eager to experience over 16 minstrel troupes and 20,000 performers. 

The parade will begin at the corner of Somerset Rd and Dixon St. The route
will follow along Somerset Rd all the way to the DHL Stadium.  

Road Closures 

To accommodate the parade and ensure public safety, several roads will be closed from 6am on Monday, 5 January to Tuesday, 6 January 2026. 

Affected streets include: 

Street/Road  Restriction    Between  Closure Time  Opening Time 
Main Rd  Full Closure (residential access lane between Upper Portswood Rd & Highfield Rd)  York Rd  Buitengracht Street  06h00  23h59 
Prestwich Street  Full Closure  Alfred St Granger  Chiappini Street  06h00  23h59 
Somerset Road  East Bound closure  Bay Blvd Granger  Granger Bay Blvd  06h00  23h59 
Fritz Sonnenberg  Full Closure  Bay Blvd Granger  Rd Portswood  06h00  23h59 
Somerset Road  Full Closure  Bay Blvd  Buitengracht St  06h00  23h59 
Ebenezer Road  Full Closure (Hotel Access only)  Prestwich St Javis  RD Somerset  06h00  23h59 
De Smit Street  Full Closure  St Napier St Javis  Somerset RD  06h00  23h59 
Moreland Terrace  Full Closure  St Schiebe St  Somerset RD  06h00  23h59 
Napier Street  Full Closure  Dixon St  Somerset RD  06h00  23h59 
Alfred Street  Full Closure  Prestwich St  Somerset RD  06h00  23h59 
Dixon Street  Full Closure  Strand St  Javis St  06h00  23h59 
Chiappini Street  Full Closure  Prestwich St  Somerset RD  06h00  23h59 
Chiappini Street  Full Closure  Napier St Liddle  Somerset RD  06h00   23h59  
Alfred Street  Full Closure (Hotel Access only)  St Beach Rd  Schiebe St  06h00  23h59 
Prestwich Street  Full Closure  Portswood Rd  St Alfred  06h00  23h59 
Cobern St  Full Closure  Granger Bay Blvd  Somerset Rd  06h00  23h59 
Granger Bay Blvd  East Bound Carriage Closure  Helen Suzman  Helen Suzman  06h00  23h59 
Fort Wynyard St  Full Closure  Blvd  Granger Bay Blvd  12h00  23h59 
Fritz Sonnenberg  Full Closure    Beach Rd     
Vlei Road  Full Closure    Fritz Sonnenberg Rd  12h00  23h59 

 Local access and permit holders: 

Street/Road  Restriction    Between  Closure Time  Opening Time 
Main Road  Permit Holders Only  Granger Bay Blvd  Three Anchor Bay Blvd  06h00  23h59 
Granger Bay Blvd  Permit Holders Only  Helen Suzman Blvd  York Rd  06h00  23h59 
Ebenezer Road  Permit Holders Only  Port RD  Prestwich St  06h00  23h59 
Bennett Street  Permit Holders Only  Port RD  Prestwich St  06h00  23h59 
Hudson Street  Permit Holders Only  Waterkant Street  Somerset RD  06h00  23h59 
Hudson Street  Local Access Only  Hudson St  Strand St  06h00  23h59 
Vos Street  Local Access Only  Vos St  Strand St  06h00  23h59 
Rose Street  Local Access Only  Rose St  Strand St  06h00  23h59 
Waterkant  Local Access Only  Buitengracht St  Waterkant St  06h00  23h59 
Cavalcade Road  Local Access Only  York Rd  Upper Portswood Rd  06h00  23h59 
Thornhill Road  Local Access Only  Cavalcade Rd  Upper Portswood Rd  06h00  23h59 

 Entry 

The HollywoodBets Cape Town Street Parade is free for the public. Follow Cape Town Street Parade on FacebookInstagram, and X, for the latest updates on the start route and other information. 

Related Articles 

The post Cape Town Minstrels Carnival 2026 – Everything You Need To Know! appeared first on Cape Town Tourism.


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Elementary Teacher Who Sent Teen 35K Texts in 3 Months Cries in Court

A recently engaged Wisconsin woman will spend the next six years in prison after allegedly admitting to kissing an 11-year-old boy in her classroom — and later sending him 35,000 explicit text messages.

Madison Bergmann, 26, was working as a fifth grade teacher at River Crest Elementary School in Hudson, Wisconsin, until the victim’s father discovered the deluge of texts.

The boy’s dad told the court during Bergmann’s sentencing on Friday, December 19, that he found the messages “disturbing.”

The messages were sent over just three months, meaning she sent an average of over 2,000 messages to the victim every day. In the texts, Bergmann allegedly professed her affections for the boy and expressed her eagerness at touching him and “making out” with him again.

Her former coworker at the school, Abigail Faust, is also facing charges for inappropriate relationships with children, including a child whom she nannied in Washington County.

Bergmann pleaded guilty to one count of child enticement and two counts of sexual misconduct by school staff back in September.

After the father brought the text messages to the police, officers searched her classroom and found a folder with the victim’s name on it containing handwritten love letters that indicated they had kissed.

Bergmann was supposed to get married in 2024. It is unclear when she got engaged.

Former Teacher Accused of Having Unlawful Sexual Relations with Student

She started to cry as soon as she entered the courtroom for her sentencing. The state had been seeking a 12-year sentence for the disgraced teacher.

Bergmann’s lawyers had been pushing for a one-year sentence.

“I want to make it absolutely clear that I take full accountability for every boundary that was crossed,” she said through tears. “I hope that your family has been able to begin to heal and find some peace in your lives again. I know the journey will be long for your family.”

She cried louder when she learned her sentence, according to KSTP.

“To his own credit, [my son] is like ‘I have to live with this forever. Whatever punishment she receives should be forever,’” the victim’s father said, according to KARE11. “When I review the texts too, it’s very deliberate — talking about touching his leg, talking to my 11-year-old son about her period, talking about his erections … to me it’s very disturbing stuff.”

Bergmann pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal from prosecutors that saw a number of charges against her dropped, including first-degree sexual assault of a child, using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime, exposing a child to harmful descriptions, and additional counts of sexual misconduct by school staff and child enticement.

When she is released from prison in six years, Bergmann will need to register as a convicted sex offender. She will also be placed on six years of extended supervision and is barred from having contact with minors without approval. The court has also placed restrictions on her internet use, according to KARE11.


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Kyle Chrisley’s Ups and Downs Through the Years: Multiple Arrests and More

Kyle Chrisley has dealt with many ups and downs through the years.

Kyle’s famous family — including stepmom Julie Chrisley, whom dad Todd Chrisley wed in 1996, and half-siblings Chase Chrisley, Savannah Chrisley and Grayson Chrisley — rose to fame on their Chrisley Knows Best reality TV show, which premiered on USA Network in 2014. While Todd and Julie, alongside their youngest three children, starred on the docuseries, Kyle was often absent amid family drama. In 2013, Todd and Julie received custody of Kyle’s daughter, Chloe, after he was arrested for assault.

While Chloe grew up with her paternal grandparents, aunts and uncles, Kyle eventually mended fences with his family after he was hospitalized following his 2019 suicide attempt.

Kyle, who married wife Ashleigh Nelson in April 2021, made headlines nearly two years later when he was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. Us confirmed in March 2023 that the reality TV alum was booked by the Smyrna Police Department in Tennessee, where he was eventually released on a $3,000 bond.

Scroll below to revisit Kyle’s ups and downs through the years:


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Sherrone Moore Released From Jail, Posts $25,000 Bond

Sherrone Moore is a free man — the former Michigan Wolverines head coach is out of jail two days after getting fired and arrested. The 39-year-old seemingly evaded cameras leaving the Washtenaw County Jail on Friday … ’cause the media didn’t…


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The Weeknd Donates $350K to Hurricane Melissa Relief Efforts in Jamaica

The Weeknd is stepping up to help Jamaicans impacted by Hurricane Melissa … donating a bunch of money to help put food on their tables. The “Blinding Lights” singer is donating $350,000 from his XO Humanitarian Fund to support the World Food…


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Tiffany Haddish Confirms She’s Still Ready to Carry Jason Lee’s Child

Tiffany Haddish is not shutting down the idea of having a baby anytime soon.

Haddish, 45, exclusively spoke with Us Weekly on Tuesday, October 28, at the 2025 PAC NYC ICONS of CULTURE Gala at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York. The comedian and actress told Us about the baby “agreement” she has with her “gay homeboy” Jason Lee.

“We have this whole agreement [that] when he wants to have a baby or whatever, I’m going to carry the baby,” Haddish told Us. “I’ve always been saying to him, let’s have a baby. Let’s have a baby.”

Haddish and Lee, 47, sent the internet into a frenzy back in August when the two shared a photo on Instagram of them posing with an infant. The post, which now has over 246,000 likes and 4,000 comments, was captioned: “Cats out the bag ❤️.” Many fans and fellow celebrities were left wondering what this meant for the duo.

Who Is Jason Lee? Meet the Podcaster Friends With Tiffany Haddish

Haddish was married to William Stewart from 2008 until she filed for divorce in 2011. The divorce was finalized two years later. Haddish dated rapper Common from 2020 to 2021 after they met on the set of action-comedy The Kitchen, in which they starred alongside Elisabeth Moss, Domhnall Gleeson, Margo Martindale and more.

Haddish told The Washington Post in 2023 that Common, 53, was her “healthiest” relationship, despite him breaking up with her over the phone.

“[It was] the healthiest, the funnest [sic] relationship I’ve ever had,” Haddish shared in the interview with The Post. “It’s where I felt safest out of all the relationships I’ve ever had.”

In May 2024 Haddish spoke about her dating preferences on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast.

“I don’t think I’ll ever f*** a movie star. Ever,” Haddish said. “I fed an entertainer. I don’t think I’ll ever do that again. I think I’ll f one again, but never in a relationship.”

Haddish told Us that a future partner needs to have a “good credit score,” and also be an “excellent communicator.”

Tiffany Haddish’s Ups and Downs Through the Years

“They need to have an EIN [Employer Identification Number]. I need to know that they know how to handle multiple personalities at one time,” Haddish said. “So that’s why I need them to have an EIN with employees and know how to motivate people to move forward to do great things. Cause that’s what I’m going to need.”

Haddish also provided recent insight on what else she’s looking for in future relationships in the trailer for her new Peacock series, Tiffany Haddish Goes Off. In the unscripted series, which is set to premiere on Thursday, November 13, Haddish and three of her childhood friends travel throughout Africa on the ultimate girls trip.

In the trailer, one of Haddish’s friends asks her, “What would you want your man to call you?” To which Haddish responds: “Empress of the universe.”

Inspired by the 2017 film Girls Trip, which starred Haddish alongside, Regina Hall, Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith, the six-episode docuseries seems to include heartwarming moments between Haddish and her girlfriends, Selena Martin, Shermona Long and Sparkle Clark, as well as a tease to a potential wedding ceremony with Haddish upfront and center.

Reporting by Andrew Nodell.


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