Evita se Perron turns 30!

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS - If these walls could talk, they’d probably roll their eyes, pour you a brandy and tell you to stop taking yourself so seriously.

After all, Evita se Perron – Darling’s most famous former train station and South Africa’s cheekiest cultural landmark – is hitting the big 3-0, and the only rule for the celebration is: no dull moments allowed.

Once upon a time, a dusty little train station in Darling stood abandoned, the ghosts of old journeys sighing through the cracks. Then along came Pieter-Dirk Uys, the nation’s satirical firebrand, armed with lipstick, wit and a determination to make South Africa laugh at itself (and think while doing it).

In 1996, he transformed that station into Evita se Perron, a place where art met politics, laughter met discomfort and audiences met Evita Bezuidenhout, the glamorous, razor-tongued “Ambassadress of the Nation” who taught us all that truth is best served with a wink.

Fast forward 30 years, and the Perron remains a must-stop pilgrimage site for anyone who loves theatre, history and a well-timed punchline. But, like any great diva, Evita se Perron knows the secret to longevity: reinvention.

After closing its doors in 2020, many feared the Perron’s final act had been played. But Darling had other plans. Enter the confectionery maestros from Darling Sweet and Swartland Kitchen, who stepped in – not just to preserve the Perron’s spirit, but to infuse it with a delicious new twist.

Pieter Dirk Uys

Today, the same station that once rattled with political satire now hums with the scent of toffee, fudge, rusks and freshly baked cookies. The old ticket office? A toffee tasting room. The platform café? Now a world-first rusk and cookie tasting room. Because why settle for existential reflection when you can pair it with a buttery crunch?

And in early 2026, just in time for the 30th birthday bash, Swartland Kitchen will take its final bow and re-emerge as Evita se Perron Bakery, cementing the marriage of theatre and toffee, satire and sweetness.

Beyond the baked goods and belly laughs, Evita se Perron remains a living museum of South Africa’s cultural contradictions. The Museum Nauseam still stops visitors in their tracks with its haunting apartheid-era relics – a reminder that humour and history often share the same uncomfortable stage.

And yet, the spirit of the place remains delightfully irreverent. Where else can you sip coffee under a portrait of Tannie Evita, nibble on an almond and orange flavoured rusk, and then wander into an exhibition that skewers politicians and celebrates democracy? And all before lunch!

As the Perron celebrates three decades of defiance, decadence and Darling charm, the message is clear: you can’t keep a good story, or a great satirical icon, down.

Expect a year-long celebration packed with events, tastings, performances and nostalgic nods to Uys’s trailblazing work. The stage lights will glow once more, the ovens will roar, and the laughter will echo across the Swartland.

So grab your friends, your sweet tooth and your sense of humour, because Evita se Perron is throwing herself a birthday bash and everyone’s invited.