🎺Cape Town Minstrel Carnival (Kaapse Klopse)

About Cape Town Minstrel Carnival (Kaapse Klopse)

The Cape Town Minstrel Carnival, known in Afrikaans as the Kaapse Klopse, is a vibrant New Year street parade that fills the centre of Cape Town, South Africa. Held on Tweede Nuwe Jaar — the "Second New Year" of January 2 — it sees thousands of costumed minstrels in bright satin suits, painted faces and twirling umbrellas march and dance through the city to the sound of banjos, brass and ghoema drums.

The carnival's roots reach back to the era of slavery at the Cape, when January 2 was historically the one day of the year enslaved people were given off — a rare day of freedom that became a celebration. Today competing troupes, or "klopse", spend months preparing as they vie in categories for singing, costume and marching, keeping a unique Cape cultural tradition alive across generations.

The carnival is centred on January 2 each year, though the main street parade is sometimes shifted by a day or two for scheduling. The countdown above tracks the days until the next Kaapse Klopse — add it to your own page, or browse more New Year and festival countdowns from around the world.