The Grand Parade is the large open square in front of City Hall, between the Castle of Good Hope and Darling Street. It has served variously as a parade ground, a market and an event space since the seventeenth century. The Wednesday and Saturday flea market draws a mixed local crowd; the square itself is heavily used as an informal taxi terminus for the rest of the week.
The square's main historical resonance is as the site where Mandela addressed Cape Town on his release in 1990, with a crowd estimated at 100,000 people. A small commemorative installation marks the spot. Best visited together with the City Hall and the Castle.