So, we are a day late for April Fools' Day. Maybe that's a good thing, because the only joke around here is the absolute state of our inboxes after the long weekend. Jokes aside, the community spirit from the incredible street festival, The Happening, still has us riding a massive high, and we are carrying that energy straight into First Thursdays today. We have a lot of ground to cover. Let's go.

In this week’s newsletter:

— Aubrey Moloto, Kele Jackson

The streets were still buzzing on Sunday morning. It wasn’t that edgy, frantic buzz of a city trying to prove something, but the warmer, quieter hum that settles over a neighbourhood after it remembers exactly what it’s made of. The Happening had come and gone, and if you live in Melville, you felt it. Something shifted.

Well, the party isn't over. It's just moving indoors. And outdoors. And onto a Tuk-Tuk. Today is First Thursday, and the Melville Art Mile is back!

The Woman Running Point On Talent

If you haven't heard of Melissa Thorne yet, you will. She's been in the film industry for 38 years, starting in production. Logistics, she'll tell you, is really her thing. Keeping things moving. Making sure the pieces land where they're supposed to.

That instinct has led her across the continent, coordinating a Millennium Festival in Mozambique 2000, featuring music, art, dance, drama, and more. After that, investor conferences, children's parks, solo shows, four-man exhibitions, and volunteer stints. The kind of CV that doesn't fit neatly onto one page or into one job title.featuring music, art, and dance, managing investor conferences, building children's parks, and curating solo and group art exhibitions. It’s the kind of CV that doesn't fit neatly onto one page or into one job title.

She ended up in Melville the way a lot of creatives do: because it pulls you in. "Out of any other town in Joburg, this is the one that attracts the artists," Melissa explains, her eyes lighting up when she talks about the suburb. "It has that fantastic vibe that everybody knows, even from the 80s. It was our stomping ground for many, many years. Melville doesn't just host culture; it demands it. There is a raw, unapologetic pulse here that you can’t manufacture. You just have to give it a platform to breathe."

When the Melville Art Mile needed a Director of Participants and Talent to own the curation of the event, Melissa was already in the orbit. She's the one who's been chasing confirmations, viewing spaces, pairing venues with artists, and solving logistical puzzles at 11 PM. She played a major role in building the eclectic programme you'll walk this Thursday.

She was also on the ground for most of The Happening on Saturday as part of the organising committee. "We want people to feel the heartbeat of the streets again," she notes. "When art spills out of the galleries and onto the pavements, it changes the way we interact with each other. It becomes a shared language."

We'd say she had a quiet weekend, but that would be the real April Fools' joke!

What to Expect on the Mile Tonight

The April edition runs from 16:00 to 21:00, rolling across a curated route stretching from Café Picobella on 4th Avenue all the way down to Die Pienk Kerk on Chatou Road. Walking the route is free to enter, Tuk-Tuks are available to zip you between venues, and you'll get a map when you arrive.

Here's what Melissa and the Snaps On Seventh team have put together:

Inside JAM (Joburg Artist Market / 27 Boxes):

The central hub is bursting with creative energy tonight:

Along the Route:

VIP Tour (R450): 

Want the full guided experience? The VIP Tour departs Picobella at 16:30 and works its way through the route. It includes Tuk-Tuk transport between the longer stretches, complimentary drinks, a souvenir, and a guide who is genuinely obsessed with the history and hidden gems of this neighbourhood. Spaces are limited! Walking the mile alone? Come rock it with us on the tour and meet some incredible people.

The People Holding It Up

None of this happens in a vacuum, and the partners who show up for Melville deserve a massive shoutout.

The Bigger Question

So here's the question worth sitting with: what happens when a suburb keeps showing up for itself? When a community street festival, a monthly art circuit, a 115-year-old child welfare organisation, and a property company that bets on neighbourhood wellness all pull in the exact same direction, consistently, in the same four blocks?

We're finding out. And tonight is the next chapter.

Community Access is free. Explorer tickets are R150 (includes hop-on-hop-off Tuk-Tuk access). The VIP Tour is R450.

Get your tickets here.

Enjoyed this week’s digest? Consider buying us a coffee – It keeps the newsletter going.

It's First Thursdays! This guide is exceptionally Melville Art Mile heavy, and pacing yourself is highly recommended.

For more updates as the week goes on, visit our Instagram page @snapson7th or our Melville Pulse event calendar

Thursday  

28° 🌡️ 13° | ☀️ | 🌧️1% | E 11 km/h 💨

Friday 

26° 🌡️ 13° | ☀️ |  🌧️ 2% | WSW 9 km/h 💨

Saturday 

29° 🌡️ 15° | ☀️ | 🌧️ 1% | SW 9 km/h 💨

Sunday

29° 🌡️ 15° | ☀️ | 🌧️ 1% | WSW 6 km/h 💨

Monday 

27° 🌡️ 15° | 🌤️ | 🌧️ 1% | NNW 4 km/h 💨

Tuesday 

25° 🌡️ 12° | ⛅ |  🌧️ 25% | NE 7 km/h 💨

Wednesday

24° 🌡️ 11° | ⛅ |  🌧️ 55% | N 6 km/h 💨

Yes, it is a very artsy weekend, but that does not mean you can't groove. Slow dancing still counts as partying!

04/04 | Saturday | 6 pm | Great Dane | Sounds Good: Volume IV | Free
04/04 | Saturday | 7.30 pm | chiesa di PAZZO LUPi | The Dey & Rungan Sessions | R200
05/04 | Sunday | 2 pm | Die Pienk Kerk | The Luyanda Madope Trio | R200

The new shawarma eatery (formerly ZA ETC.) used The Happening as their first official opening day, and the response was brilliant. The neighbourhood has been screaming for a more affordable, high-quality food option that isn't a heavy, sit-down meal. Their falafels, wraps, and unexpected East African rice options (with veggie, beef, or chicken) hit that sweet spot in the R50 to R100 range, making it a perfect grab-and-go option for locals. We'll have a full interview soon as they finish rolling out their menu, but absolutely go check them out.

More news from Main Road. A new African food take-out restaurant has opened under the Zouk Nightclub location (formerly Stones). This makes it the third authentic African cuisine spot on that strip! Right next door to the coffee stop (in what used to be the old Video Town) is a fantastic, authentic Central African take-out joint. With the Chesa Nyama across the road flying the Mzansi flag high (offering braai vleis, inyama yenhloko, dombolo, and morogo), this new spot seems to be more West African-focused. Could Main Road be turning into a vibrant "Little Africa" culinary hub?

As long as businesses are doing things right and adding value to the community with high-quality, authentic products, we are here for it. It's a great sign that buildings on Main Road, from Great Dane down to the Coffee Stop, are filling back up after sitting empty for so long.

We are also keeping close tabs on Baalbek's reopening. Their doors were open during The Happening, and they are slated to officially relaunch very soon. Stay tuned for a full feature when they do.

Launched to great success at The Happening, The Green Fork’s new 5km running club is now a weekly fixture. We have included all the poster information below so you can get your trainers ready for next week’s early morning run.

Time: 6.30 am for 7 am
Place: The Green Fork: 8, 7th Street Melville

All ages and fitness levels are welcome!

We were chatting to Gail from Bounty Hunters Charity For Cats about their "Cat of the Week," and she mentioned something intriguing: the cat in question was completely toothless. Surprisingly, missing teeth or the need for dental surgery is a relatively common issue for felines. While cats hide pain extremely well, keep an eye out for signs like excessive drooling, bad breath, or difficulty eating. Dental disease is preventable with care, but if your cat does need procedures, ensure they are carried out properly by a professional vet. Prevention and early intervention are key to ensuring your furry friend isn’t suffering in silence.

Did Saturday actually happen? Looking at the community social media groups this week, the answer is a resounding, joyful "Yes!" The neighbourhood hummed with a massive, unifying creative energy that has not been felt on these streets in years.

The aftermath is entirely "happy vibes," with residents raving about the crazy mechanical bike (which we interviewed the owner of previously!), kids freely skateboarding down the closed-off streets, and the vibrant spectacle of the traditional African dancers.

Melissa Thorne, from the organising team, loved the massive community response. "Melville needed a resurgence of energy, and I've seen it bubbling under the surface for a while. Saturday just blew the lid off it." We felt it too: a beautiful sensory overload of stilts, music, and performance art. One heartwarming highlight was the dedicated "community couch" outside Hotel Hope that absolutely everyone signed.

With today being First Thursdays, and the incredible AR (Augmented Reality) Melville Koppies experience launching on May 3rd, it is such a fantastic time to be in Melville. There is so much vibrancy and a deep, renewed community spirit.

We will see you on the street again tonight!

Come support the Art Mile tonight! If this edition of Melville Untold was a goodie, be a doll and buy us a coffee? Give us a tip!

You can also support Snaps On Seventh directly by grabbing a ticket to our VIP Guided Tour at the Melville Art Mile tonight. It's great fun, with great company, and huge value for money!

Read something interesting? Forward this mail to a friend who loves Melville.

Til' next week Melville,

Stay passionate, stay playful and stay pioneering.

Ნakhvamdis. ✌️