By Marley
When I thought about this post I was sitting in a comfortable chair in an office waiting for a meeting when I overheard a conversation about Innibos and what, as English speaking people, can do at Innibos. Since the festival is mostly in Afrikaans, I am Afrikaans so it’s lekker for me to hear my mother tongue spoken all over.
But I also know there are many non-Afrikaans speaking people that feel they are left out of the festival. Here is a small guide that might help you enjoy it. PS this was written with a non-Afrikaans speaking family.
1) Bring the kids
If your child is still in primary school or younger they have free entry to Innibos. Which is great, it saves money on the ticket. There is so much stuff for the kids to do. Woelwaters (which I can say in translation is what a busy 3-year-old is on a sugar rush) have babysitters that will help look after the kids. Of course, the fairground with all it rides is a must visit for any child.
There are child-friendly rides that won’t give parents a heart attack. The stalls make it easy to stroll through with a stroller. It’s the school holidays and what is better? A tablet watching kid or someone that’s making new friends? My only advice is the following: Write your name and phone number on your child’s arm in case they get lost. Show them where they can go in case they get lost. Find the closest security guard (the friendly team of J & M Security) and start from there.
(photo by Small Town Music)
2) Bring Gogo and Umkhulu
Good news for pensioners, there is a pensioners day at Innibos in case your legs feel young. Wednesday you can pay less if you are over the age of 60+ (R50 per ticket). However, have cash on hand during the festival it makes paying for your coffee a lot easier.
You can enjoy the soul-soothing KMIA stage during the day in the gardens of Bergvlam. There is food stalls, wine, art exhibits and artists to see, look and hear.
(Photo: Pixabay)
3) Music is music even if it’s English
The Parlotones, Dan Patlansky, The Black Cat Bones, Wonderboom etc are maybe in the blues, pop and rock genre but they perform in English. If you are a rocker in your heart you will enjoy the kykNET Nou Rock stage and the Thursday evening Standard Bank main stage. All though not everyone is a fan of Van Coke or Zoid, you still can enjoy the atmosphere around you. Plus with so many beer tents around you, you will soon make new friends.
(photo by Small Town Music)
4) Food and more munchies
Pizza cones, anyone who is a foodie will tell you to try the pizza cones. And I can only find them at Innibos. People queue for this. But that’s not the only thing on the menu.
There is real potjiekos, pancakes, ice creams, ribs, seafood, burgers,
(photo by Small Town Music)
5) It’s as South African as Mrs Balls chutney
Innibos has really grown from the small pea to the monster that it is now. It’s huge, everywhere you go in the next few days (and weeks ahead) the town is buzzing like a bee’s nest. I can understand if you don’t understand the culture or completely misunderstood the culture. But not every Afrikaans speaking man is dressed in khaki or not every Afrikaans tannie has a floral dress.
Nope, there are so many types of Afrikaans that you’ll be shocked. To experience something like that then Innibos is a must visit. A place where people greet, ask you how they can help and you’ll have a good family day in the Lowveld winter’s sun. At night, dress snug and join the activities. There is just so much to see and do. And that’s even the theatre productions! Innibos’s website has an English translation (Google) so it’s possible to read up what you can do during the Innibos week.
(photo by Small Town Music)
My fellow Nelspartans, whenever you like to sit in a pub watching the soccer or be at home having a braai to miss the dust. That is fine too. But I am telling you, you are missing out.
Enjoy Innibos, see you there.
