City awaits CTMCA application for available Athlone Stadium dates
15 January 2026
The City of Cape Town has not yet received an event permit application or provisional bookings for available Athlone Stadium dates offered for the internal competitions of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). The City remains in regular contact with the CTMCA, including to reconfirm that Vygieskraal stadium is not a lawful venue option for medium-risk grade events, as per the rating applied by SAPS for minstrel events. Read more below:
While the CTMCA has not submitted any application for available Athlone Stadium dates, the City last week received an incomplete application, once again for Vygieskraal Stadium, which cannot lawfully be used for these events, as the City already communicated to the CTCMA many months ago.
The City remains committed to working with the CTMCA to secure a lawfully permissible venue for the event in question, and the City's offer of available dates for the Athlone Stadium remains, subject to the CTMCA complying with laws and regulations for event permitting and doing business with the City.
Klopse competition events continue throughout January at Athlone Stadium for those who have booked events timeously and complied with event regulations.
This follows tens of thousands Capetonians celebrating Tweede Nuwe Jaar – organised by the Kaapse Klopse Karnival Association (KKKA) - which drew close to 25 000 spectators to DHL Stadium and many tens of thousands more to the free street parade by over 20 000 performers.
December to January is the busiest time of the year for events, and bookings are made many months to more than a year in advance to avoid disappointment.
As early as September 2025, the City informed the CTMCA that Vygieskraal Stadium may not lawfully be used for their internal competitions, which are medium-risk SASREA graded events. SAPS applies this risk rating to the majority of Minstrel events, which limits the number of suitable public or private venues.
The City has also since informed the CTMCA of Athlone stadium's availability in January and in February. This venue can lawfully cater to such events, and is doing so throughout the January and February period on various Klopse competition dates.
While the CTMCA has to date not acted timeously to secure a venue which meets SAPS's permitting requirements, the City remains committed to working with the CTMCA to secure a lawfully permissible venue for the event in question.
The City has further lodged an appeal against a related High Court ruling which ordered venue provision on dates for which no legally suitable venue is available.
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
