Take a Walk Through Brixton with the Blogitects

by | Oct 25, 2022 | Arts and Culture, Brixton, Food and Drink, Johannesburg, Tours | 0 comments

Thorsten, my architect boyfriend, and I recently led a walking tour of Brixton, our home suburb, on behalf of the Johannesburg Heritage Foundation. That tour was a big success so we’ve decided to strike out on our own and host another one — a “Brixton Tour with the Blogitects” on November 12th. We’re teaming up with Kia’s Kitchen and a bunch of other cool Brixton personalities. It’s going to be fun! Sign up now before the tour fills up.

House and tower in Brixton
Thorsten’s old house, now the headquarters for Iranti, with the Sentech Tower looming behind it.

I moved to Brixton a year ago and have sung its praises many times before and since. But I still feel like Brixton falls under the radar as a cool Joburg suburb. There is so much history here — it’s one of Joburg’s oldest suburbs — and it’s become a funky art hub in recent decades. Brixton also has an excellent coffee shop, Breezeblock, and its vibrant community park, Kingston Frost Park, is one of the most well used in Joburg.

Walking in Kingston Frost Park
Walking through Kingston Frost Park on our previous tour.

Brixton is friendly and walkable and Thorsten and I are eager to show it off to as many Joburgers as possible.

Brixton Tour With the Blogitects

I don’t want to give away everything we’re planning for the tour. But highlights will include:

1) Walking the streets of Brixton and exploring several unique homes and churches, as well as Brixton’s historic alleyways.

Alley in Brixton
One of Brixton’s alleys, decorated with Thorsten‘s art, which we’ll visit during the tour. For last February’s Brixton Light Festival, Thorsten and a group of artists decorated this alley with enlarged versions of Thorsten’s Brixton sketches.
Thorsten in front of art in a Brixton alley
Thorsten in front of some other alley festival art, created by the kids at Shade.
A cool guy I met while walking the streets during the previous tour.
Old Brixton house
One of our favorite old Brixton houses.

2) A visit to the home studio of Brixton artist Bronwen Findlay, who recently worked with a team of mosaic artists to create a spectacular mural at the Everard Read Gallery.

Bronwen Findlay mosaic in Brixton
One of Brixton’s most iconic art pieces — a Bronwen Findlay mosaic in the alley behind her house.

3) A demonstration by the Sentech Croozers.

I wrote about the Sentech Croozers in my recent post about bicycle spinning and stance in Soweto. I’m really psyched that they’ll be joining us.

Percy Zimuto, who introduced us to spinning, with his hand-crafted bike.
Sentech Croozers
Jayden (left) and Khutso, two more of the Croozers.

4) A visit to Frayznix Vintage Rack, a vintage clothing showroom in the heart of Brixton.

Frayznix vintage rack
Frayznix, a vintage collector who lives in one of Brixton’s coolest historic houses, has an incredible collection of clothing and other bits of magic for sale. As a vintage-clothing-obsessed person, I am particularly excited about this stop on the tour.

5) Live music, drinks, and dinner at Kia’s Kitchen.

Kia owns another historic Brixton house, which was a police station during the infamous 1922 Rand Rebellion. Kia is also a chef and hosts occasional meals and musical performances in his back garden. We’ll be finishing our tour at Kia’s; those who want to can stay for a buffet dinner and/or listen to live music by Ariel & Juana, a fabulous double-bass/voice duo who frequently perform in and around Brixton.

Kia and the team at Kia's Kitchen
Kia (right), Brenda (center), and Tsile of Kia’s Kitchen.

Can you tell I’m really excited about this tour? Please join us. All the details for the tour (times, costs, addresses, etc.) are included on our Quicket invite. Ticket numbers are limited so book now.

Heather in Brixton
Me in Brixton.

I almost forgot! Thorsten and I made a really cool Brixton ‘zine — a homemade magazine — about Brixton, and everyone who joins the tour will get one. Here is the cover.

Brixton zine cover
Okay that is all.

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