On the first Thursday of every month, thousands of people explore art galleries and shops until late in and around Church Street in the Cape Town CBD.
To better understand how the programme, led by Gareth Pearson and Michael Tymbios of Thursdays Projects, is impacting people, businesses, galleries and restaurants in its footprint, the CCID works with the organisers to run an annual dipstick survey.
Says Tasso Evangelinos, CEO of the CCID: “This survey is an important gauge of why and how people come to the Central City after hours. And year-on-year it reflects the opinions, wants and needs of those engaging in its ever-expanding nighttime economy.”
Here are the responses of 135 participants surveyed in December 2016, compared with those from last year.
The majority of attendees were from the northern suburbs (29%), which has surpassed the southern suburbs (28% – versus 40% last year). 20% lived in the CBD and/or City Bowl. However, 61% of those who lived elsewhere said they would move to the CBD if given the opportunity. The 5% who said they wouldn’t cited crowds, business, traffic and noise as reasons.
Says Gareth Pearson: “The Central City was a very different place back in 2012 when we started First Thursdays. Part of what we were trying to do was change the suburban mindset of Cape Town, and get people to aspire to living a more urban way of life. For me, one of the biggest insights from this recent survey is that 61% of people from outside of the CBD would move there if given the opportunity. This shows how that mindset is changing. The next step is to make living closer to the Central City more accessible. There is very little housing stock close by, and what is available is increasingly unaffordable. This has to change.”
42% of those surveyed were at First Thursdays for the first time. 16% were there by themselves, 72% with family and/or friends, 10% with colleagues, and 3% with visitors from out of town. Interestingly, the number of solo attendees increased by 10% from the survey taken last year. The majority (41%) rated their experience as “really great”.
Most attendees (41%) were between 18 and 24 years old. However, it’s interesting to note that those in the age group of 35 to 40 increased from 7% in 2015 to 13% in 2016.
Fewer people (43% – versus 53% in 2015) drove their own cars or car-pooled to First Thursdays. The difference seems split between increased sedan taxi (16% – versus 12% in 2015), train (5% – versus 3% in 2015) and bicycle (3% – versus 1% in 2015) usage.
Most people (80%) signalled their intent to eat and/or drink at a CBD restaurant or street vendor on the night. Meanwhile, 36% said they bought from retailers who stay open late on First Thursdays. 46% hadn’t visited any CBD galleries before attending a First Thursdays.
Their favourite things? 63% enjoyed the vibe on the streets the most. However, this was down from 76% in 2015. Visiting restaurants and bars and doing late night shopping both increased – to 30% and 10% respectively.
The survey also asked respondents asked to give comment on what they would like to see more of. The top two answers were more street performances incorporating music of some nature (32%) and more food and street traders (7%). Joint third were more clothing shops to be open and better public transport (both 5%).
Are you planning to spend time in the Central City during the festive season? If so, please take our survey.
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