VANDERBIJLPARK – What was meant to be a vibey Sunday night of music and good times turned into a loud nightmare for residents of CW5.

And now, the management of the venue and the community are left reeling from a hard-hit fallout.

This comes after a wild night at Route 66 left residents angry, flooding social media and police lines with noise complaints.

The backlash was so fierce that Route 66 has officially cut ties with event organisers Party Next Door (PND) and vowed that the chaos will never happen again.

On Monday, October 6, Route 66’s Andries de Beer issued a statement extending an unreserved apology to residents.

“The management of Route 66 would like to extend our sincere and unreserved apology to the residents and broader community for the disturbance caused by the event held on Sunday, October 5,” read the statement.

“This event was hosted by an external events company, PND (Party Next Door), to whom the venue was rented for the first time. Unfortunately, the organisers failed to adhere to the agreed-upon terms, including noise levels and overall conduct,” said the management.

According to De Beer, despite continuous efforts to address the situation during the event, their requests were ignored, and the event regrettably disrupted the community.

“We take full responsibility for allowing this event and acknowledge the inconvenience it caused. We have since reviewed our internal procedures and are implementing the following corrective measures to ensure such an incident never occurs again:

1. Termination of Partnership – Route 66 will no longer conduct any business with the events company PND.

2. Event Scheduling – We will no longer host similar events on Sundays.

3. Sound Restrictions – All future events will have strict sound limitations and will end no later than 22:00.

4. Sound Direction Control – Stage and sound systems will be repositioned to face the industrial area, reducing sound travel into residential zones.

5. Cleanliness and Maintenance – Cleaning teams will be deployed throughout the event and again the following day to ensure the surrounding environment remains clean.

6. Safety and Oversight – Similar events will be classified as medium risk, ensuring increased police visibility and oversight,” he said.

In a different light, PDN also posted a statement on their Facebook page.

“We are aware of the incidents that occurred after the event and want to reassure you that we are thoroughly investigating the matter alongside the Joint Operations Committee, which includes SAPS, Health Department, and Safety officials,” read the statement.

“We also want to emphasise that everything that took place outside the venue and parking area was beyond our control. However, we were fully compliant with all Joint Operations Committee (JOC) regulations and safety requirements throughout the event,” continued the statement.