David Kau’s Christmas Party: how it benefits Kroonstad +who is trying to stop it

It’s almost time for  David Kau’s annual Christmas party. The event started at his mom’s house in 2002 as a small party with about 100 people. In 2005 the event got too big for the house, it was then decided that the party would be moved to a bigger venue – Holiday Valley Guest House.

In 2005 about 800 people attended the event ( this was achieved by just word of mouth advertising). In 2006 about 1500 people attended the event (this was achieved by word of mouth marketing and circulation of flyers within Kroonstad); In 2007 about 2000 people were in attendance (same marketing concepts were used as in the previous years).


In 2008 about 3000 party people attended the event. Due to the popularity of the event, flyers were distributed in major cities across Free State, Lesotho, Johannesburg, Pretoria, 60’s party in Mafikeng, David Kau’s website and other entertainment websites; Since 2008 party has been attended by people from all over Free State, Gauteng, Lesotho, North West. For the year 2010, there is an expected crowd of about 6 000 or more.

Benefits:
The media exposure this event brings is worth hundreds of thousands of Rands, and within the next 2 years will be worth millions, which would be very very beneficial to both Kroonpark, and Kroonstad as a whole.

Employment:
 The Christmas party creates employment in many sectors.  Last year, more than 50 people  were employed as security marshalls, and internships were given to local students who want to learn about marketing, events and hospitality. More employment opportunities are being created this year.

Revenue injection:
With almost 100 hotel rooms booked  so far for this year, that’s at least 100 cars and 100 couples staying in Kroonstad, plus hundreds of other visitors who do not sleep over who come from Welkom, Oodendaal, and other towns. These  people spend well over R 100 000.00 on food and petrol on this day in Kroonstad. This does not include alcohol sales.

Problems:

Certain guest houses in Kroonstad do not allow black visitors to stay in their guest houses. There have been tensions regarding the venue as some members of the community are unhappy that the event is taking place this year.  These issues will not affect the christmas party. The event has grown organically and will continue to do so, in Kroonstad.
Added benefits:

This event brings life to the small town of Kroonstad every year, giving residents a chance to celebrate the year and each other with celebrities and visitors to Kroonstad.

The event also promotes Kroonstad to the rest of South Africa. For more information about the sale of tickets and the venue, and how you could win a Chevy Spark, click here.

Safety and Security.

There has never been a single incident of violence. Security personnel has been hired to ensure safety of the patrons. Due to the nature of the event and the size of the community, the local police and traffic department also play a major role with traffic control.

There is a  “no fire arms policy”, except for members of the SAPS.

We strongly support the “Arrive Alive” Campaign and we strongly oppose “drinking and driving”, people are provided with accommodation details in and around Kroonstad for the night, eliminating the need to drink if they have driven there.

For any enquiries, email songezile@jucyafrica.com