Durban Street Food Festival Summer Edition will be held in a new venue on the streets of Durban's inner city, along Florence Nzama Street (previously Prince Alfred Street), as well as in the historical
Rivertown Beerhall.
Long, long ago, the area was swamp land, until the city commissioned engineer John Milne to build a canal to drain the land and make it useable for the people. Within a few years, trade and industry moved in, with wagon manufacturing and later automative engineering being the dominant industry – the area became known as ‘Motortown’.
In 1914 the Municipal Beerhall was built as a social gathering place for labourers in the area. In 1993 the building was due to be demolished by the Durban City Council, but was saved at the eleventh hour by the Durban Art Gallery staff, who saw its potential as a conservation centre.
Rivertown Beerhall speaks directly to Durban Street Food Festival‘s values of urban regeneration and we are honoured to welcome you to explore a slice of Durban‘s history.
