Applications for Oom Piet’s Christmas Party have opened, and families have until Tuesday November 15 to book their spot at this event.
Oom Piet’s parties have been running since 2011 when the Durbanville Rotary Club saw the need for a children’s Christmas party in the northern suburbs, something for three to eight year olds.
The parties take place in the grounds of a magical castle at the Marco Polo Club, at the Durbanville Racecourse. Part of what makes this event so special, is the specially designed castle the Rotary Club made for the Christmas Party.
“The castle is designed to rigorous standards. The frames are made to withstand winds similar in strength to Hurricane Katrina. Construction of the steel frames took many months. The medieval cladding was kindly painted by Ina van der Westhuizen and is retouched each year.
“The weight of the frames and cladding means that they must be transported using a crane. Rotarians are present at the site to fix the castle turrets into place for the duration of the parties,” said Rotary president Tony Robson.
The party was hosted at Kronendal wine farm for the first three years, but moved to Durbanville Racecourse last year, a known landmark with ample parking.
“Our first public performance at the racecourse last year was the charity night for the local farm school children on Thursday December 3. The five public parties were completely sold out, entertaining 1065 adults and children mostly from Durbanville but also from as far afield as Milnerton and Stellenbosch,” said Mr Robson.
The parties consist of various entertaining performances, ranging from a presentation by the fire department to singing Santa elves and some straw throwing.
“After much singing, eating and entertainment, the show continues after dark when signs start appearing that Santa is on his way, and as rumour has it, he’ll be there every night again this year. After Santa has arrived the children all get to meet him and receive presents from him. Feedback from the audience last year was excellent with everyone saying they would definitely book again this year,” said Mr Robson.
When the parties are over, the castle is broken down and moved back to storage. The show will run from Friday December 2 to Sunday December 10 from 7.15pm to 9.30pm. For more information, visit the Facebook page Oom Piet’s Christmas Party, email oompietsparty@gmail.com or visit www.oompietsparty.weebly.com