The Stellenbosch Street Soiree kicked off for another season, celebrating its ninth anniversary.
This was according to Madaléne Manuel, marketing assistant at Stellenbosch Wine Routes. The event, which kicked off on 27 October, usually takes place every second Wednesday between November and March each year, said Manuel.
The Stellenbosch Street Soiree is celebrating its ninth anniversary this year. The event is usually hosted during November and March each year. The Street Soiree offers many different food and wine vendors for guests to enjoy and to experience what Stellenbosch has to offer. PHOTO: Lara van Zyl
The pop-up soirees are set up in Drostdy Street and can usually accommodate 500 guests. Due to Covid-19 protocols, however, the tickets have been limited to between 300 and 400 guests, according to Manuel.
“A lot more expenses are going into the events as we need to order extra seating for the guests to keep everyone socially distanced, and we hire fencing to limit the amount of people in the event venue,” said Manuel.
This event is presented by Visit Stellenbosch and organised by the Stellenbosch Wine Routes, according to Manuel.
The events
The Street Soiree plays host to different wine and food vendors. All the wine vendors taking part in the event are members of Stellenbosch Wine Routes and Visit Stellenbosch, explained Manuel.
The Stellenbosch Street Soiree is presented by Visit Stellenbosch, and is organised by Stellenbosch Wine Routes, according to Madaléne Manuel, marketing assistant at Stellenbosch Wine Routes. PHOTO: Lara van Zyl
There is a maximum of 25 wine farms per event, including farms such as Spier, Alto Rouge, Kaapzicht and Beyerskloof.
Compagniesdrift recently joined the festivities for the first time at a Street Soiree event hosted on 10 November, according to Jill Onkruid, a brand ambassador for Compagniesdrift.
“It’s an amazing energy,” said Onkruid. “I think I expected it to be this cool vibe.”
Guests are required to purchase a ticket to partake in the event. Each guest receives a wine glass with 10 tasting tokens which they use as a payment to the wine farms, according to Manuel. The participating wine farms then get reimbursed for the wine that they pour, she continued.
“The Visit Stellenbosch Restaurant members are also invited to take part as food vendors and we usually ask for the menu so that we have a wide variety of food offerings available,” said Manuel.
The Street Soiree hosts 25 different wine farms at each event. “This is a great way to boost wine tourism in Stellenbosch,” said Madaléne Manuel, marketing assistant at Stellenbosch Wine Routes. PHOTO: Lara van Zyl
Experiencing Stellenbosch
The Street Soiree has become a highlight event for Stellenbosch, said Manuel.
“It’s a fun, nice way to get Stellenbosch people together and experience and drink Stellenbosch,” said Micyla Pienaar, a brand ambassador for Rascallion Wines.
Manuel explained that the main plan for the Street Soiree is to inspire tourists and locals to go out to the wine farms after meeting some of the vendors at a soiree.
“We have received great feedback on numerous occasions of tourists visiting the farms after a Soiree to explore the variety of the farm,” said Manuel. “The exposure is great, as over the years people have started booking around these dates and locals have come from far and wide to spend time at the Soiree,” she added.
VIDEO: Lara van Zyl