 A street carnival parade or Mardi Gras (also called the Coon Carnival) is held each year peaking on 2 January.This event is the culmination of months of musical and dance rehearsal and community-based competitions, by various mostly mixed-race folk, and was known as "Tweede Nuwe Jaar" (Afrikaans).The performers, known as Klopse, borrowed the painted faces and bright consumes of the minstrel show style of New Orleans and combined this with African and European music that was to be heard in the taverns and night clubs of the port city.