The Dusty Rebels and the Bombshells rockabilly-inspired festival takes place annually at the West Coast Ostrich Farm in Cape Town, with the 2015 event happening on the 14th November. The festival is a celebration of all things Americana, and harks back to the days of pin ups, muscle cars and fabulously fun fashion. 
What’s so great about the festival, currently the only one of its kind  in SA, is that everyone who attends makes an effort to dress to the theme – hair sprayed up-do’s, gorgeous vintage fashion and leather jackets are the order of the day. It brings the theme to life and is a great excuse to let go of contemporary fashion for the day and to celebrate this super stylish era. What we really loved is that the show’s vendors included some of Cape Town’s hottest hair stylists and barbers (Scar, Widow Makers, Barnet Fair), who were on hand to help out with styling and hair-do’s, and MAC who were offering make-up.

Throughout the day activities happen at the main stage as well as the centre floor – this year crowds were entertained with a fashion show from vendors including fabulous vintage swimwear from Gabrielle, clothing from Levi’s, Miss Hap, Petrol Clothing Company and more. There was a display from the roller derby girls of Cape Town, a vintage caravan photo booth, live graffiti artwork demos, and our favourite – old school fun fair rides. The R20 vintage swing ride was one of the day’s most popular activities!


Also on show are plenty of vintage cars, trucks and bikes. For anyone who loves their American muscle cars, this is a place to view them in all their glory, and if you’ve ever had the desire to test out a Harley Davidson, this is the place to do it. Many of the cars took a few spins around the dirt track to show off their power and über retro coolness.


On the main stage, the much anticipated PinUp Pageant saw 10 stunning ladies competing for the 2015 title,. The pageant, hosted by well-known local pin-up Blue Haired Betty, was ultimately won by Marilyn Deathrow, with runners-up Genny Genocide and Bird.

Towards the evening, once the sun had set, the crowds were entertained by a saucy burlesque show from several of Cape Town’s burlesque groups and then crowds continued to dance the night away to classic rock tunes and original music from local bands.

If you missed this years event, make sure you watch the calendar for next year’s – follow Dusty Rebels on Facebook or Twitter or visit dustyrebelsandthebombshells.co.za for more information.