Kaapse Klopse

On 2 January thousands of performers in satin suits of coordinated colours march through central Cape Town with banjos, ghoemas, trumpets and painted faces, in troupes that rehearse all year and compete afterwards in stadium events. The date matters: Tweede Nuwe Jaar, the second new year, comes from the one holiday enslaved people at the Cape were customarily given, the day after their owners' celebrations, and the carnival grew from that. Nineteenth-century American minstrel troupes visiting Cape Town added the face paint and some of the repertoire, which is why the tradition carries an element that reads uncomfortably now and is argued about within the community that owns it. The music - ghoema rhythm, Afrikaans comic songs, moppies - is distinctively Cape Malay and Cape coloured, and the parade is loud, long and genuinely local rather than staged for visitors.

What you actually see

• The 2 January parade - thousands of performers in coordinated satin marching through the city.
• The Tweede Nuwe Jaar origin - a carnival grown from the one day off enslaved people were given.
• The ghoema music - banjos, drums and Afrikaans comic songs in a distinct Cape tradition.
• The contested face paint - an element from visiting American minstrels, debated within the community.

When to go

2 January, with competitions through January. A day on the route.

Honest expectations

It is extremely crowded and roads close across the city centre. The parade runs long and start times slip. Pickpocketing is a real risk in the crush. The minstrel imagery is uncomfortable for some visitors and its history is complicated rather than simple.

Nearby

The Bo-Kaap and District Six museum are on or near the route.