Published on: Oct 13, 2026

Welgemoed certainly knows how to celebrate! From Friday evening’s 70th birthday festivities to Saturday’s bustling Straatwinkel, Imhoff Park was filled with music, laughter, wonderful food and the unmistakable energy of a community coming together. This year’s celebrations were particularly special, marking 70 years of Welgemoed and the sixth Straatwinkel (the fifth in Imhoff Park).

FRIDAY NIGHT – 70 YEARS AND PLENTY TO CELEBRATE

 The weekend began with a wonderful birthday celebration on Friday evening. Around 80 residents gathered at Imhoff Park for sundowners, delicious charcuterie platters and live music from Born2Fire. A popular resident Oom Joep entertained everyone with stories from Welgemoed’s past, mixing local history with a healthy dose of humour and observations about life in the neighbourhood today.

With good company, music and plenty of conversation, the evening continued until after 22:00. It was a fitting celebration of Welgemoed’s 70th birthday and, judging by the atmosphere, something we’d love to see become an annual tradition.

SATURDAY THE MARKET COMES ALIVE!

Saturday morning delivered beautiful weather, and by 07:00 Imhoff Park was already buzzing as vendors and volunteers prepared for the day. When the market opened at 10:00, visitors were welcomed by 115 stalls offering an extraordinary variety of products. Delicious food and confectionery, clothing, handmade crafts, candles, ceramics, art and plenty of original creations made for a colourful, vibrant market.

There was a wonderful mix of familiar faces and first-time vendors, with many bringing something completely different to the market. Just as impressive was the spirit among the stallholders, friendly, enthusiastic and always willing to lend a hand.The two social tents quickly became popular gathering spots. With live music, good food and neighbours catching up over a drink, there was every reason to stay a little longer.

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS STEAL THE SHOW

One of the Straatwinkel’s most encouraging features continues to be the Young Entrepreneurs’ section, which seems to get better every year. The creativity, preparation and sheer determination of these young business owners were remarkable.

CELEBRATING WELGEMOED’S GARDENS

The Seeff Welgemoed Garden Competition was a welcome addition to this year’s Straatwinkel, celebrating the beautiful gardens that contribute so much to the character of our neighbourhood. Congratulations to our winners!

• 1st Place: Alet & Renae Barnard – 1 Plettenberg Street
• 2nd Place: Hester Kuhn – 16 Imhoff Street
• 3rd Place: Mariet Kriek – 74 Kommissaris Street
• 4th Place: 85 Plettenberg Street 🌷

🌷 A particularly touching entry came from 85 Plettenberg Street, where the garden was entered by the owner’s daughter-in-law in memory of her mother-in-law, who passed away five months ago. A lovely tribute to someone whose care for her garden continues to be appreciated.

SHUTTLE-SERVICE LUCKY DRAW

Congratulations also to Bjorn Keyter, who won the hamper filled with products generously donated by Straatwinkel vendors for the shuttle-service lucky draw!

THE BUSINESS BEHIND THE BUZZ

The support of local businesses brought plenty of extra colour, activity and entertainment to this year’s Straatwinkel.

• Pam Golding sponsored the upper park’s social tent, which became a favourite gathering place with live music and a lively atmosphere throughout the day.
• Kainos helped celebrate Welgemoed’s 70th birthday by sharing the neighbourhood’s history, while bringing fantastic music and energy to the lower park social tent.
• Seeff as a first-time sponsor, championed the Young Entrepreneurs, sponsoring their market area and providing umbrellas for those without gazebos. Their new garden competition was another wonderful addition to the programme.
• Harcourts brought plenty of activity to their stand and provided shopping bags that proved useful as visitors discovered more goodies to buy.
• Rawson and Enderstein Malumbete Inc. were familiar, welcoming faces in the upper park, while Realtors Group continued its valued support of  the Welgemoed Straatwinkel, a relationship stretching back to the event’s earliest days.
• ZeroCrete brought its own activity tent to the market, giving visitors an opportunity to engage with its innovative approach to turning waste materials into useful products.

And a special thank you to Fidelity ADT, whose shuttle service transported more than 250 visitors during the day. The service helped ease parking pressure and proved so popular that Fidelity ADT has already offered to double the number of shuttle vehicles next year.

ALSO READ:  The Sponsors Who Brought Welgemoed Straatwinkel to Life

THANK YOU TO THE TEAM BEHIND THE SCENES

An event like the Welgemoed Straatwinkel doesn’t simply happen on the morning of the market. Months of planning, vendor applications, site preparation, logistics and countless small details go into creating the day that visitors enjoy. Our thanks go to the organising team and volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, from preparing and cleaning the park to helping vendors unload, carrying mountains of stock and checking that everyone had what they needed.

By 17:30, just two and a half hours after the market closed, the stalls were packed away and Imhoff Park was clean and ready for residents to enjoy again.

THANK YOU! WELGEMOED

The weekend went off smoothly, with no reported safety or medical incidents. We also thank residents living around Imhoff Park for their patience with the additional traffic and parking during Straatwinkel. What started as a small neighbourhood market has grown into an event that brings thousands of people together, supports local businesses and gives young entrepreneurs an opportunity to shine.

A special thank you to our vendors, whose wonderful products, friendly spirit and enthusiasm bring so much character to Straatwinkel.

Welgemoed Straatwinkel Organisers

Welgemoed CID operates in alignment with the City of Cape Town’s core service delivery and governance pillars. For operational assistance or urgent matters, residents are encouraged to save the Welgemoed CID Control Room number: 086 1212 315