Feastival’s Cabo Women’s Day edition served up a good night of music. What stayed with us was how safe it felt, and in Cape Town that counts for more than it should have to.
A bride arrived blindfolded. Her friends walked her in, pulled it off, and the group was dancing before she had her bearings. That only happens when a crowd feels safe, and safety was the story of Feastival’s Women’s Day edition.
The security is why. It was thorough without being heavy. Guards spaced every hundred metres or so, armed response at the boom, everyone kitted out and checking bags properly, and none of it felt aggressive. The pat-downs were quick and the people running them friendly enough that you relaxed instead of bracing. A xylophone band played the entrance. It set a tone the night held onto.
All night the women in the room looked comfortable in a way you can’t fake and can’t stage-manage, and the men weren’t making it anyone’s problem. In this city that is not a small thing to pull off. Feastival pulled it off.
The rooms did the heavy lifting
Cabo is a warren of rooms, and Feastival used most of them. The music was good across the day, and the sets that landed hardest were in the casino room, tucked next to the karaoke. Karaoke pulled its own crowd and its own energy. Down a separate hallway, the poker room had a rotation of trendy kids on the decks. Up on the top floor, Red Bull had set up a gaming, beer pong and rugby room, which is where a good chunk of the crowd went when the Springbok game was on. There was a spa near the entrance too, a small space and a nice touch to have on site.
The food market was solid, with a good little vegan spot, a chip and dip, a chocolate panna cotta sort of thing, and many more. Seating was the one scramble of the night. Bars were well stocked and the staff, top to bottom, very friendly.
A crowd that felt like Cape Town
The crowd was the other thing worth flagging. It was mixed, in age and in who was there, and it read as an honest cross-section of the city rather than the usual crowd you might expect at a beach club. That kind of representation is part of why the night felt like it belonged to Cape Town.
If we’re being straight, it leant more towards a very well-run premium club night than a festival with a strong point of view. The shows we usually cover tend to carry a personal touch, some sense of who made this and why. This was a room full of people who wanted a proper night at the club, and got one. An event like this isn’t built to carry deep meaning, and holding it to that standard would miss what it does well.
And it closed strong. Mi Casa headlined and did what Mi Casa always do, which is send everyone home happy. By the time they were on, the room had exactly what it came for.
Feastival won’t change how you think about live music, and it wasn’t trying to. What it does, quietly and well, is give women a night in Cape Town where they can drop their guard. Plenty of bigger events can’t manage that. Feastival did.
