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Ever wondered what it was like to be a bit of a rebel in the 40's and 50's? I'm talking the rockabilly culture: burlesque dancers, hot girls on rollerskates, tattoos, vintage cars, and beautiful ladies dressed up in true pin-up style...



The first, official Rockabilly Festival was held in Cape Town on the 9th of November. The inaugural event was hosted by Dusty Rebels and the Bombshells and took place at the Ostrich Farm just outside of Cape Town. It promised to be one day filled with music, fashion, burlesque and other activities - enough to make anyone who has a soft spot for the 50's root up and to see what it's all about.



To give you a quick history lesson in Rockabilly culture: Rockabilly has its rebellious routs in the 40's and 50's. Think polkadots, headbands, high heels, red lips, tattoos and dresses that accentuated the waist. It was a time when legends like Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash were kings of the stage and the ladies were seen out dancing to the music of these icons.



I had no idea that the Rockabilly culture and the music genre had such a big following in Cape Town, but the turn-out was pretty good for a first-time event. We arrived just after 1pm and the venue was already starting to fill up nicely. It looked as if Cape Town and surrounds saw this festival as the first real event to go all out this season.



There was a fine selection of beautiful stalls serving all kinds of vintage food and merchandise. From pretty, little cupcakes with a hint of alcohol to massive burgers that could easily feed two people. They did a great job at creating a tiny rockabilly village where you could have the entire experience, from the food to the clothes they sold.








Scar Hair made sure everyone looked the part, with a stall where you could have a rockabilly makeover. I was surprised at how many people participated! They did a great job in transforming the ladies into beautiful characters from the 50's and the gents looked just as handsome with fresh cuts and trims.












Am I
Collective invited tattoo artists, illustrators and
graphic artists to make an origami rat rod for an exhibition showcased at the festival. I must say all the artists did a fantastic job and it was nearly impossible to choose a favourite. They were also on sale and a part of the income was donated
to the Movember initiative. Movember is an international activity that gives men the opportunity to grow moustaches to create awareness about prostate
cancer. Well done to all!






One of my favourite parts of the festival was seeing the roller derby girls in action for the first time. They showed off their
skating skills in a sort of "skate-off" between two teams. Even though I don't know much about the rules, they did a great job to entertain the crowd in their skate costumes and fierce attitudes. There was also
bike polo, which I didn't see much of, but looked very interesting!






The weather played along beautifully and gave girls the opportunity to dress up in short dresses and cute tops. Cape Town really came out to play and it made me wish that we could have more events like these to show off our spectacular fashionistas! Even the boys came to the party in jeans, hats and showing off their tattoos.












The stage was surprisingly large and what a great impression to make with your first festival. Burlesque dancers from The Rouge Revue, Black Orchid Burlesque and Demi
Monde Burlesque entertained the crowd with their beautiful moves and costumes. They all looked gorgeous and had the crowd on their toes numerous times. South Africa surely has some of the sexiest ladies in the world!



With all the activities going on, we missed some of the music, but we did catch the amazingly talented Lonesome Dave Ferguson, Longtime Citizen and Th'Damned Crows who all showed us some real rockabilly sounds and kept the crowd entertained throughout.



Just after 11pm we were a bit exhausted from the blazing sun and all the dancing, that we decided to drove back and not stay over (there was a camping option for those who did not want to drive back). Luckily we had a friend who didn't drink and we arrived safely home - done and properly DUSTed!



Well done to Maria and Rene-Mari with a great event! May there be many more.



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