#Basar18: Thank You

The effects of Global Warming have become more apparent in the last five years and fortunately Saturday 26 May 2018 proved to be a wonderful day, as we celebrated the DSJ’s 111^th annual Schulbasar.

The Basar is very tough to explain to somebody who has never attended before. For some, it is simply a beer festival, for others it is only a school fête. The reality is that it is so much more than this. The Basar has its own unique identity, combining tradition, community and all things German. It is one of the very few authentic events left in Johannesburg.

From an organisational perspective, #Basar18 was the culmination of a three-year plan. Following a brand overhaul in 2016, the event went completely cashless in 2017 and this year was all about efficiency in terms of the running of our class stands – something we are proud to say that we achieved.

In terms of numbers, the attendance was 8382 compared to 9054 in 2017. Despite this, the turnover increased by almost R150 000 compared to last year. The best way to compare is to look at the experiences of our guests, and judging by the newly-established Schulbasar Facebook page, our guests more than enjoyed ourselves this year.

A day of such magnitude would not be possible without the support of the whole DSJ community, for this I am immensely grateful. I would like to thank all staff and especially my fellow Administration team members for their work.  There is a team of people who need to be recognised for their efforts, those that were involved throughout the project. I would like to thank Annette Holtmann, Fred Stone, Pam Johannsen and Olaf Schaum for their mammoth contributions to #Basar18. Last but not least, a special mention of the DSJ Maintenance Team as well as the ladies from Guaranteed Clean, who did a sterling job throughout.

Finally, my sincere gratitude to our sponsors for making #Basar18 an event to remember and helping us achieve our goals. On this note, we would also like to thank all our Raffle Draw sponsors, this year we managed to generate over R112 000 in profit. For a list of winners, please click here:

While the event might be finished, we are still finalising numbers and navigating the best way forward in terms of the vehicle we will be purchasing. Stay posted for the official announcement!

Savo Ceprnich