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Following a seven-year hiatus, the ever-popular SA Navy Festival saw tens of thousands of people descending on Simon’s Town to catch a rare glimpse into the workings of the naval base this past weekend, reports Cape {town} Etc.

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Overcoming budget cuts and the Covid-19 pandemic, the SA Navy Festival kicked off with a special Dry Dock Concert on Thursday evening followed by three days of Navy exhibitions, precision drill demonstrations, parades, ‘gun-runs’ and vessel tours that evidently drew in a crowd of note.

In fact, viral footage of jam-packed trains and hours-long queues doing the rounds on social media showed that on Saturday afternoon, neither the naval base entrance, Simon’s Town roads nor Metrorail could handle the sheer volume of festivalgoers.

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@unklethobzandstuff | People got tired of waiting in the heat for nothing ? #navyfestival2024 ♬ original sound – Unkle Thobz And Stuff

After spending hours in the hot sun outside the main entrance to the Naval base, festivalgoers poured into the narrow gates, with not enough Navy personnel on-site to let people in. According to some social media posts, the waiting festivalgoers opened up the barriers themselves.

@smaambikoSimon’s Town Navy Festival♬ original sound – Cece

Hours-long queues were not limited to just outside the festival entrance, train platforms were reportedly packed with people waiting to board additional trains to Simon’s Town, which also quickly became jam-packed.

@mrunexpected1 POV: after 5 years the navy festival is open and the way to go till there was unorganised by metrorail?? #navyfestival #fyp ♬ original sound – yaadt lovers

According to Smile FM, the City of Cape Town’s traffic services urged people on Saturday afternoon to avoid the area if they could, as people were stuck in traffic for hours in the heat, with cars queueing from Muizenberg at one stage.

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Despite this, many others who had attended the festival and taken to social media shared that they had an enjoyable experience:

Monica Tserere Nyama said: ‘Family fun day at the SA Navy Festival 2024! ?⚓️ What an amazing experience exploring naval ships, watching thrilling displays, and enjoying quality time together. The kids loved it, and so did we! Proud to be part of this unique event.’

According to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), the SA Navy festival saw approximately 38 000 visitors over the three-day period.

‘The SA Navy Festival 2024 concluded with a promise of renewed strength and unity, celebrating the SA Navy’s enduring relationship with the people of South Africa and the commitment of its members to their country. Thank you for visiting!’ said SANDF in a Facebook post.

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Picture: SA National Defence Force / Facebook

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