All the ins and outs of the Cape Town Fan Mile

The Games begin two hours before the Game Starts on the Fan Walk!

Expect Flaming vuvuzela’s, Search Beams!, Cape Minstrels, Ghoema Jazz Bans, Jembe Drummers, Theatre performers, murals and vendor booths with anything from 2010 kits to samoosa’s – and 1, 5 hours before the game – a mini parade will be marching along the Fan Mile. The Game starts 2 hours before the game at the Cape Town Fan mile!

During FIFA 2010 Cape Town is a walker’s city; some of the best sites and activities, the true landmarks, historical, cultural and just plain pretty things to see are only accessible through a jaunty stroll and the Fan Mile is a superb way to experience 2010 with tremendous entertainment happening hours before the game starts!

Which is why the 2010 Fanwalk fits into Cape Town so well – in fact you can be forgiven for thinking it wasn’t there all along! Safe, well signposted - and an entertaining walk, the pedestrian route starts at Cape Town’s City Centre and runs to the Cape Town Stadium, and right back again.

Starting in St George’s mall - The Africa statue by Brett Murray is pretty instantly recognisable, and we highly recommend you view it for yourself, after all, how often do you get to see a bronze statue covered in Bart Simpson heads?

A Bustling Hub on the Cape Town Fan Walk

You then move onto Waterkant Street, from Lower Burg to Buitengracht – which means you cut across Long Street. As every Capetonian knows, Long Street is in many ways Cape Town’s most cosmopolitan and cultural hub, so take your time and check out a few shops, maybe have some of the famous lunches on offer and be sure to head back for happy hour!

The 2.6km pedestrian walk has great entertainment along the way and also passes six sites of interest including; the Africa statue, Waterkant Street, St Andrew’s Square, the Corner of Chiappini and Somerset Roads, Somerset Road and Gallows Hill.

Waterkant Street itself, now a  pedestrian and cycle route, is putting up a good fight for the title of most interesting street in Cape Town – offering many lively stalls and local cafes; World Cup and FIFA paraphernalia on sale pretty much everywhere – so get your game on on this Fan Walk!

The living history of St Andrew’s Square is not to be taken lightly – rooted from the slave history of Cape Town, the church on the square was the first to allow slaves free access to prayer; it is also where unmarked graves thought to be slave victims of smallpox can be found.

If your interest lies elsewhere, during the 2010 World Cup the square will be the focal point for post-match chill-out lounges.

Moving along you then reach Somerset Road; lined with varied nightclubs and bars, from subdued to raucous (Bronx being a party favourite). But for some quality shopping step into the Cape Quarter, have a delicious meal, or treat yourself to retail therapy.

Energetic Cape Town

From the Cape Quarter you can already sight the Cape Town Stadium from the Fan Mile, and from there it’s a breezy hop skip and jump to the site of the Soccer Stadium spectacular.

Really the whole walk should be taken at leisure, take your time and really soak in the energy of Cape Town Fever; it’s worth it.

That’s not to say you can’t simply start at any point on the route or just use it as a practical way to get around the city – but the landmarks along the way means that to realllly get the full experience, the complete walking tour should be done by anyone landing on our shores (at least once).

And with road closures and soccer madness; The Fan Mile in Cape Town also probably the most practical, but completely superb entertaining way to saunter to the soccer stadium! Find out where the best spots are on the walk, and why no-one should miss it!

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