Eastern Cape kindness and character stole the show at the Bathurst Country Affair.
Bathurst, Eastern Cape (02 September 2025) – Bathurst is more than just the home of the world’s biggest pineapple. This tiny little Eastern Cape village is the quaint home to a number of eccentrics who, over the course of two days, brought Bathurst back to life.
The annual Bathurst Country Affair returned last weekend and with it, shot sparks into its quirky streets. For a town that relies on tourism, the festival saw an incredible turn-out, with visitors from all corners of the Eastern Cape (and further) popping in for a proper party.
Over 100 volunteers came together to make it happen.
There were markets with over 40 stalls, quiz shows, men in pink tutus, giraffe feeding sessions, mystery cook-offs, art exhibitions, t-shirt printing workshops, a Johnny Cash Tribute Show, and a full-on country parade by tractor.
The list goes on.
Eating competitions, pigeon races, fantasy gardens, wine pairings, pineapple tosses, and drag races that only Bathurst could pull off. There was also a beard competition, a choir performance, and the town’s resident criers kept the festival alive, and everybody on their toes.
Even the legendary Pink Lady Milkshake Parlour made its famous return after having closed down for a time. There’s a story behind it…
According to town resident Oscar Nicholson, some years ago, a milkshake parlour stood perched at the entrance of the village, owned by a lady with a pet rat. She had dreamed up a manner of legendary flavours that gave the parlour its legendary status, including a peanut butter and honey milkshake dubbed to be the stuff of dreams.
Sadly, the milkshake parlour had closed down and the equipment went on to collect dust in a back room. Recently, new owners brought The Pink Lady back to life, along with her legendary flavours, and she was there for the country affair.
It’s a small, quirky anecdote from a town that represents all things weird and wonderful, including (but not limited to) the world’s largest pineapple.
“To our incredible community – over 100 volunteers, too many to name but impossible to forget – you’ve created something truly magical. The Bathurst Country Affair was not only the biggest event in 12 years, but a shining example of what happens when passion, creativity, and community spirit come together,” writes Tanya Van Mierlo Schenk, a critical cog in the wheel that made the festival turn.
“All in all, the friendly nature of the Eastern Cape cannot be replicated, it’s a province of beautiful and friendly people, a place of genuineness. I once read a post that someone wrote about having a drink in a Bathurst pub, ‘I sat next to a man, he said that he had nothing, but he would gladly give me half of that.’ Such is the nature of this place,” writes resident Oscar Nicholson.
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