Woodstock: Unrefined.Untamed. Unbelievable

Woodstock is an up-and-coming suburb in Cape Town boasting a resilient culture and a colourful local flavour.  "Woodstock" has never really been an iconic funky arty suburb and, actually, many people considered the area quite dodgy until recently.

During its heyday Woodstock was pretty cool but it became quite dilapidated and ignored. Oddly enough, this actually set the scene for a freedom of expression from artists and so a strong street culture began to emerge.

Since the emergence of the Old Biscuit Mill art and food market there's been an urban revamp of a suburb that's become a cross-stitch of authentic real life and modernism. The new Woodstock is peppered with art galleries and is quite the place to be seen - if you're the bohemian type. There are still pockets of Woodstock that are in dire need of attention but it gives Woodstock that "edge".

The once gritty Woodstock now possesses a certain charm. It's an old suburb merged with modern bohemian ideas. Woodstock is "downtown". It's rough around the edges. It's the nice looking biker boy in the bar. It's underground and it's pretty damn cool.

Woodstock has an interesting history and has quite a strong Portuguese community. Film studios, advertising agencies and artists are slowly infiltrating the area because of it's offbeat bohemian style. So it's a great mix of true Cape ancestry injected with a bit of modernism.  

There are now trendy restaurants, markets, a luxury hotel, thrift shops, junk shops and art galleries lining the streets of Woodstock. It's an incredibly arty area with many traditional buildings, interesting architecture and captivating grafitti. Woodstock is located on the periphery on the Cape Town CBD. There are still parts of the suburb that are unsavoury but it's worth exploring the area. And i wouldn't recommend walking around alone at night. Woodstock isn't there yet. However, I reckon now is the time to invest in property in Woodstock.

Awesome things to do in Woodstock, Cape Town:

Eat at The Kitchen for lunch. They make health sandwiches and the shelves are filled with chaotic crockery.
Visit the Goodman Gallery and The Lovell Gallery for artistic inspiration.
Go to the most popular Neighbour Goods market in Cape Town at The old Biscuit Mill. A place to celebrity spot.
Have drinks at Jamaica me crazy. A quirky little Jamaican bar.

On the 24th September, on Heritage Day, I took part in a photographic competition called "One Day in Woodstock". A competition sponsored by the Lovell Gallery in Woodstock. The idea was to capture Woodstock, its people and architecture. I stumbled across a haven of interesting things to photograph. Most of the pictures from that day can be found on the Flickr channel, The Snoozing Traveller Lens.

Here are a few of my pics of Woodstock, Cape Town's unrefined, untamed yet unbelievable suburb. 

Woodstock, Cape Town. Untamed. Unrefined. Unbelievable.