STREETFEST: When the Street is King at Killarney

Drags, drifting, spinning, stance builds, music and many carnival rides

Last updated: Wednesday, 17 December 2025

Killarney ends the year with the loudest, proudest, most in-your-face celebration of street-car culture on Saturday, 27 December 2025. Expect a full-blown street-car jol, with drag racing, drifting, spinning, show cars, music, braais, and carnival rides for families. Streetfest is powered by the City of Cape Town in association with Smile 90.4FM.

The event is fuelled by enthusiasts who grew up watching the Fast and Furious franchise. Image: Killarney

KILLARNEY: A CAPE TOWN INSTITUTION

By the time you walk through the gates, you’ll already have heard the morning’s first warm-up runs. The day kicks off with start-line burnouts, violent launches, custom builds and stance cars. Think Nissan GTRs, VW Golf Rs, Audis, and classic Escorts, alongside powerful V8s, rotaries, and even rally cars. 

The heart of Streetfest is the quarter-mile drag run. This is where serious street cars and drag builds go head-to-head in some of the fiercest racing, with competitors travelling from all over South Africa to challenge Cape Town’s best. Expect anything from turbo-charged beasts to vintage tin-tops, all vying for track time in a massive celebration of all things fast and loud.

Marshals, medics and an ambulance crew are present throughout the day to keep the environment controlled, safe and family-friendly. Image: Killarney

COMPETITIVE RACING & STREET CARS

While racers line up on the drag strip, every corner of Killarney starts filling with machines worth marvelling at.

On the west side of the circuit sits one of the biggest spinning pitches in the country. Spinning is a uniquely local motorsport, born in Soweto in the 1980s and perfected by crews across the country. With high-revving engines, tight circles, door-open slides, and tyre smoke thick enough to taste, it hypes up the crowd. 

Across the venue, the exhibition areas fill up with modern street cars, modified machines (like tuned engines and cosmetic upgrades), classic “stance” cars (low-riders with custom suspension), and a heavy showing of Japanese marques (Honda, Nissan, Toyota), which are a favourite among Cape Town’s street-car community.

Finally, attendees can see the legend everyone speaks about: The “fastest bakkie in the country”, a Nissan Champ fitted with a Toyota engine, making it a Frankenstein of a machine, said to have been built somewhere in the Klein Karoo.

It’s chaotic, electric and unmistakably local. Image: Killarney

FAMILY-FRIENDLY CARNIVAL FUN

If you’re not a fan of cars, there’s still plenty to see and do.

Families will be occupied for hours thanks to the fun fair’s carnival rides like bungee trampolines, rocket parachute simulators, a human space gyro, swing carousel, inflatable obstacle courses, and the WipeOut sweeper challenge.

Jumping castles and a tubular “old-school” Ronald McDonald-style slide, the kind many remember from childhood McDonald’s playgrounds in the 90s and 2000s, bring a dose of nostalgia that parents will instantly recognise. 

There’ll also be fire dancers lighting up the track with fire breathing, and music all day from the Gig Rig, an open air stage.

There’s something to keep everyone entertained. Image: Killarney

BRAAI & PICNIC ON THE SPECTATOR BANKS

Killarney is the kind of place where people pitch up early, set up camp and stay the entire day.

Families can bring gazebos, camp chairs, cooler boxes, and even braai, turning the spectator banks into a picnic zone. You can use the free built-in brick braais, or set up a skottelbraai in designated areas.

Vendors to suit every taste and pocket will be there to keep you fuelled for the day. There’s also a restaurant on site and pop-up food stalls scattered between the paddock and exhibition areas.

One of the best parts of Streetfest is how relaxed and budget-friendly the day can be. Image: Killarney

BUY TICKETS ONLINE & SAVE (FROM JUST R10!)

To save money and skip queues, get your tickets online via Webtickets.

Gates open at 7am and the racing starts at 9am. Be sure to arrive early as the first 100 spectators can secure the best spots along the drag-strip railings.

Kids under 12 get in for free and adults pay R95 when you buy tickets online (R130 at the gate).

Streetfest is Killarney’s last event of the year and one of the most eclectic family events on the calendar, you don’t want to miss out. 

You don’t want to miss this final event of the year. Image: Killarney

BUY YOUR TICKETS TO STREETFEST

Killarney Streetfest is happening: Saturday, 27 December; 9am to 5pm
Find it: Killarney International Raceway | 6 Potsdam Road | Table View
Book: Via Webtickets
Contact on: 021 557 1639 or email info@wpmc.co.za

By Khadeeja Adams

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MORE FAMILY FUN

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There are always things to do this week(end) in Cape Town.

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