IF the term “good, clean fun” brings images of roller skates, leg warmers, big disco balls, perms, milkshakes, lollipops and arcades to mind, Rolla Disco might just be for you.
This one-of-a-kind party took Joburg by storm with the launch at MOAD [Museum of African Design], Maboneng Precinct, and organiser Dimitri Kambas has plans to take this Jozi jol even further afield.
Kambas said Rolla Disco was all about gliding around without a care in the world – the way partying should be.
“Rolla Disco began in 2008 with a mission to bring unpretentious fun to South Africa; to bring a good, clean environment to a weekend option for 18 to 35-year-old South Africans,” he said.
“After many toils and finally finding the right skate supplier, Rolla Disco was officially born when just under 200 skates were brought into the country.”
The organising team was also slowly built up, bringing in each person’s skills into play.
“[It’s] about letting go and enjoying yourself,” he said.
Kambas added that the humble rollerskate was a great equaliser; whether participants are high-powered businesspeople, accountants, designers or unemployed, everyone is generally on the same level when in a pair of skates.
“Rolla Disco is more than just an event. It’s the pursuit of a sub-culture to create an ‘everybody is welcome’ attitude, in stark contrast to many events these days that create an exclusive and elite aura,” he said.
Kambas said that their first event revealed that their target market was much wider than they initially thought, with a large number of people over age 35.
“It seems that Rolla Disco touched the melancholic heartstrings of many people in their 40s. It’s testament to the fact that we are open to everybody who brings a fun-loving attitude to our events,” he said.
The organisers plan to provide skate hire services and private party planning for corporate year-end functions, bachelor and bachelorette parties, team building functions, and exercise and dance classes.
Kambas welcomed people who’d like to get involved, whether it be through sponsorship, food and drink stalls, or idea collaborations.
The second event is being planned for November.
Kambas said that plans to take Rolla Disco to Cape Town were underway.
Details: www.rolladisco.com
