Barrydale’s streets will come alive again this December as Net vir Pret confirms the return of its annual Puppet Parade and Performance, one of the region’s most anticipated cultural events.
The 2025 production, titled Steek My Weg (I See You), will premiere on December 14 and is expected to draw large crowds from the village, surrounding farms, and visitors to the Langeberg region.
Now in its 16th year, the parade has become a cornerstone of Barrydale’s community calendar. What began as a small creative project has grown into a major collaborative effort involving local children, young leaders, rural artists, and partner organisations.
The event has built a reputation for bold puppet design, original storytelling, and a uniquely Barrydale sense of colour and imagination.
This year’s story, Steek My Weg, explores themes of identity, connection and courage. Through puppetry, music, and movement, audiences are taken into a world where humans and animals meet and where characters learn what it means to be truly seen by their community and by the natural world.
The 2025 production is created in partnership with the Ukwanda Puppetry Collective and the Centre for Humanities Research at the University of the Western Cape.
Net vir Pret also confirmed that the Makwande Empowerment Trust is sponsoring youth employment for this year’s programme, allowing young participants to receive weekly stipends while training in puppetry, performance, set building, stage management, and technical production.
Rehearsals and construction work are already underway at the Net vir Pret Skills Centre. More than 50 children are expected to participate, alongside youth artists, puppet builders and a directing team who guide both creative and personal development.
For many young people in Barrydale, the parade is a highlight of the year and one of the few opportunities to gain structured arts training and mentorship.
The event continues to serve as an important community platform, offering creative education, youth employment opportunities, confidence building, and public visibility for local talent. It also strengthens Barrydale’s cultural identity at a time of year when many residents return home and visitors fill the town.
The parade will begin at 17:30 at the Karoo Art Hotel and move down Van Riebeeck Street into Tinley Street before concluding at BF Oosthuizen Primary School, where the performance will take place at 18:30. Admission is free and open to all residents and visitors.
Net vir Pret continues to provide creative, educational, and developmental programmes for children and youth across the Barrydale region, using the arts to foster imagination, resilience, and community connection.
