For those who aren’t aware, Hollywoodbets have taken over sponsorship of the Durbanville and Kenilworth race courses. A great move for horse racing in the Western Cape, and for those punters attending the tracks on race day. I had the pleasure of visiting the Durbanville race course on Heritage Day 2022, as well as the following weekend, and was simply blown away by the transformation at the course. I thought I’d put some of my thoughts on paper for an informal blog-style post, to try to express how different things are in my experience after Hollywoodbets have come on board. I’m not going to go into some of the technical details, but rather the overall visitor experience.
A brief history lesson
I grew up in Durbanville, a stone’s throw away from the track, and have been visiting it on and off over the last 20 years as an adult, and longer as a youngster. The Durbanville track itself is over 100 years old (it’s hard to find much info on the course!), and honestly hasn’t been the best place to visit over the last few years unless you were there just to have a bet, or there was a rare major event on. I have a few photos of the course from back in the day, well my day, with the oldest being from 2006, my friends and I would often pop down to the track on the weekend for some entertainment and a few bets.
In the more recent past there have been some decent events over the weekend, good for families with craft markets, local goods, and activities, some better than others, but nothing on the scale that Hollywoodbets have brought to the party. We’d often take family trips down to the track as my son loves horses. One of my last visits was just before covid struck in 2020, and was a pleasant enough day out due to market they had on the go, but there was very little else that warranted a longer stay as a visitor.
Visiting Hollywoodbets Durbanville Race Course in 2022
While not much has changed with the physical venue itself (other than some much-needed paint and repairs!) Hollywoodbets have made some major changes to breath life back into the venue for visitors. My visit on Heritage day was a spur-of-the-moment decision, it was one of the first “Big” events (Spring Country Series) at the track, and I thought I’d pop down for a few cold ones, some overpriced food, and catch a bit of racing. I was also interested to see what Hollywoodbets were going to bring to the party as one of the sponsors.
I never expected to see the track so busy with patrons, as well as how many young people were out for a day of fun. There were food stalls everywhere, a potjie competition on the go, plus live music, dancers and lot’s of fun activities organized by Hollywoodbets.
Another major change worth highlighting is how things are now geared towards the patrons. In the past there really wasn’t much in the way of seating. A few wooden benches scattered here and there, and those were usually occupied by someone leaning over the race card, no where to sit other than on the grass.
Enter Hollywoodbets, who effectively used every bit of unused space, with loads of tables, comfortable chairs and umbrellas everywhere. Giving the venue a much needed boost of colour and lots of seating options for those looking to grab a bite to eat, or just relax and soak in the atmosphere.
There was also a main stage with live music between the races, a beautiful entertainer on stilts and a few other nice touches (too many to mention). I grabbed myself a few fairly priced beers, an overpriced boerie roll and chips (R75) and enjoyed some of the entertainment on offer. There were lots of other food options, but you can’t go wrong with a boerie, which went down well. Unfortunately there were none of the legendary Hollywoodbets Bunnies on offer, but then again this is Durbanville, and not Durban!
The atmosphere was buzzing, something I’d never quite seen before at the track, and my only regret was that I had to drive so couldn’t indulge too much! That wrapped up my first visit, and it got even better with my second visit a week later.
Second visit to Hollywoodbets Durbanville
Myself and a plus one were kindly invited by Hollywoodbets to attend the next event, an invitation which I gladly accepted. I was fortunate enough to attend the Hollywoodbets Durban July on their invitation a few months back (check out my Hollywoodbets Durban July VIP experience video), and was very excited to see what they had planned, and they didn’t disappoint!
The track was buzzing, just as it had been the week before, with all the bells and whistles, but with the addition of a VIP area which I was given access to. On offer were drinks, snacks and everyone was friendly, and having a good time. The food was delicious, staff amazing, and I enjoyed a few drinks and snacks while catching a few races. My plus one even picked up a nice 4/1 winner on one of the races (beginners luck no doubt).
After snacks and a few races a delicious an unexpected lunch was served. I was pretty stuffed at this point, so opted for some greens, while my partner had the salmon, which was excellent. There was also an appearance by Devin Heffer from Hollywoodbets, whose enthusiasm for horse racing is infectious. We caught a few more races before deciding to have one last stroll around the grounds before heading home.
Hollywoodbets Durbanville Race Course is a must visit
Overall the experience at the Durbanville race course was superb, I can’t remember having as much fun at the track in over 20 years. I’m not sure how many events like this Hollywoodbets plan on hosting, but if there is something on at the track over a weekend then it’s definitely worth a visit. The amount of money and effort they’ve put in is fantastic, and the results speak for themselves. Weekday racing is going to be a very different picture as there aren’t going to be the same type of festivities, but if you are a family, punter or looking for something to do on the weekend then I highly recommend paying the course a visit. Entry to the Durbanville Race Course is free, and there’s plenty to do for the young and old alike.
Beautiful sunny day here at Hollywoodbets Durbanville ahead of the Hollywoodbets Spring Country Series! 🤩☀️🏇 pic.twitter.com/e81AGcCcmC
— Hollywoodbets (@Hollywoodbets) October 1, 2022
*All images were taken by me