People of Bloemfontein prepare for the arrival of Santa Clause during the Christmas season.
The people of Bloemfontein like to celebrate Christmas with an annual event called the
Spar OFM Carols by Candlelight. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event had to be postponed until
further notice.
The last time that the residents of Bloemfontein were able to sing their hearts out was in 2019. Now
that restrictions and regulations had been lifted, the bells were ringing once again.
This event took place at the same venue as every other occasion before: the University of the Free
State. Another Carols by Candlelight occurred a week prior in Potchefstroom.
Every year, a different set of artists, musicians and choirs lend their talents to the Carols by
Candlelight. This year, the carols were led by Elvis Blue, Demi-Lee Moore and Ruhan Du Toit. The
singers were accompanied and aided by the Mzanzi youth choir.
Wide photo of attendees
The event doesn’t happen simply for Bloemfonteiners to express their festive spirit. Admittedly, it is
one of the intended purposes. The main reason, however, is for charity.
OFM does not charge the viewers an entry fee, rather, they request that everyone present bring a
children’s toy along with them.
The toys are donated to various orphanages across Bloemfontein. As previously stated, no entry fee
is required, but donations are accepted and encouraged.
Stage where musicians peformed
For the year 2022, the first time since 2019, the Spar OFM carols by candlelight raised R19 735,
collected 115 boxes of toys, toiletries and stationary and had over 12 000 people in attendance. The
smaller Potchefstroom event held similar results. They had 7000 attendees, raised R14 000 and
collected 76 boxes of donations. The charities receiving these donations were Childline Free State
and Rotary club of Potchefstroom.
Thanks to them, many children could now have a very merry Christmas.
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