- Kei Mouth, Eastern Cape, South Africa
Looking Back On The Festive Season In Kei Mouth
There’s nothing quite like Christmas on the Wild Coast. Visitors flock to our seaside villages to make the most of the sandy coastline, warm hospitality and selection of seaside accommodation. For many locals, December is when the income flows most readily, providing a financial cushion for the quieter winter months.
The village was definitely buzzing this Christmas even though the promised reopening of the caravan park never materialized. Despite that, the beaches were packed and the local NSRI lifeguards rushed off their feet long before the official start of the season on 6th December.
Out to Lunch: Beach Closures Impact Bottom Line for Restaurants
Hundreds of people flocked to the beaches at Kei Mouth and Morgan Bay, keeping the lifeguards on their toes as they contended with a series of challenges, including dangerous rip currents, blue bottles, and sewage spills.
With the Kei Mouth swimming beaches closed, many of the village’s visitors headed over to Morgan Bay to enjoy the waves and soak up the sun. Sadly, this had a detrimental effect on the local restaurants who lost out on much of the seasonal lunchtime trade.
Bouncing Back With Markets, Meat, And Merrymaking
While the beach closures took their toll on the success of the festive season, other events brought a smile to the faces of residents and visitors alike. The annual Christmas Market was a great success, with people flocking to the village’s main drag to buy last-minute presents and to treat themselves to homemade delicacies, artisanal crafts, and local specialities including handcrafted jewellery and traditional holiday treats.
The local Savemor also enjoyed a healthy festive season, with sales increasing by around 10% compared to the previous year. According to owner Brendan Freitag, this was largely due to their new butchery section, which proved popular among both residents and holiday visitors for its quality cuts of meat and competitive prices.
The bottle store didn’t fare quite so well but hopefully, that’s an indication of just how many people were quenching their thirst at the local bars and restaurants.
Speaking of which, the village spirit got a boost from both The Bushpig, which was reopened by the capable hands of Craig Pelser and the new Old Post Office bar and pizzeria that secured its liquor license just in time to treat us all to some festive cheer and live music.
Celebrating Christmas With Great Kei Adventures And Wild Coast Horses
Elsewhere, visitors were busy enjoying the natural beauty of the area, exploring under the expert guidance of Great Kei Adventures. They took nearly 200 people out along the estuaries, beaches and cliffs, with some opting for a guided kayak tour along the stunning river at Double Mouth, and others trying their hand at a spot of fishing under the expert guidance of local fishing guru, Dylan Lees.
Wild Coast Horse Trails also introduced a host of visitors to the delights of horse-back riding, with less experienced riders enjoying a gentle walk along the Kei Mouth beach and those with more experience in the saddle and spirit of adventure heading up to the krantzes in Morgan Bay.
While it wasn’t the busiest December the team have ever seen, it compared well with previous post-Covid seasons, averaging around 180 rides. There was a time when the horses would do up to 250 rides over December, but that hasn’t been the case since the pandemic. It’s hard to figure out if that’s because fewer people are staying in the village due to the closure of the caravan park, or if our visitors have less expendable income these days – something we can all sympathise with.
Festive Season Highlights: Great Greens And Community Engagement
Clearly, the village would welcome the reopening of the caravan park, which would boost the village’s accommodation capacity by between 400 and 600 “beds”. Even without that much-needed boost, it still enjoyed strong visitor numbers and a bustling festive season.
The caravan park’s absence didn’t seem to have much effect on the golf course, however, which enjoyed a bumper festive season with green fees for December and January increasing by around 10% compared to 2023.
The club’s tournaments also attracted considerable support, probably due to the generous sponsorship that saw R60,000 worth of prizes up for grabs!
Getting a definitive impression of the village’s holiday season occupancy rates and event attendance is challenging.
However, we’re proud to say that our Facebook posts received over 50,000 views during December, reflecting both a strong desire for information about local events and an eagerness to engage with the community.
On a similar note, if the Kei Mouth Lodge Collection is anything to go by, most of the available accommodation was fully booked for several weeks, easing off only after the New Year celebrations were done and dusted.
Looking Ahead
All in all, Kei Mouth flourished this festive season, showcasing local talent in its bars and restaurants, providing seaside accommodation for hundreds of holidaymakers, and proving that the residents’ efforts to uplift the village have not gone unnoticed. Of course, we all wish the beaches had been open for the duration of the season, but are grateful to the NSRI for their efforts at keeping everyone safe despite the various challenges.
While not everything went according to plan, it’s clear that the community’s resilience, combined with residents’ commitment to the upkeep of the village and continued support from visitors throughout the year suggest a bright future for 2025 and an even better festive season this Christmas.