From January to December, the Mother City has a jam-packed social calendar of yearly happenings. Reblogged from Cape Town Magazine. Enjoy!
JANUARY
Looking for a colourful and unique start into the new year? The Cape Minstrels Carnival (also known as the Kaapse Klopse) happening every year on the 2nd of January is for you.
Also find fashion and flair at Cape Town’s The J&B Met (at Kenilworth Race Course) every January. South Africa is home to three annual horse races hosted in it’s three principal cities.
Got a tattoo? Wanna show it off? Want more? Go to the Southern Ink Xposure, an annual Tattoo expo. It’s huge, it’s successful with over ten thousand tattoo-hungry people, top international artists from fifteen countries, art exhibitions, and concerts.
FEBRUARY
Get three days of the best South African music at the Up the Creek Music Festival in a fantastic setting on the banks of the Breede River (about three hours drive from Cape Town).
Experience a Hands-on Harvest Festival in the Robertson Wine Valley, a boutique wine harvesting event that offers you the magical harvest-experience for a day.
Take part in the Pride Pageant and party at the Pride Parade during the Cape Town Pride Festival, a celebration of Cape Town’s wonderful diversity.
MARCH
Arguably one of the biggest sporting events on the Cape Town calender is the Cape Argus Pick’n’Pay Cycle Tour. Over 38 000 cyclists of all ages and fitness levels compete in the 105km route around the beautiful Cape Peninsula.
A bit more hectic (aka gruelling) is the Cape Epic, an annual extreme eight stage mountain bike team race through the Western Cape.
APRIL
The Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon follows a beautiful 56km scenic route around the Cape Peninsula. Spectators line the course to cheer runners along.
Decorex is South Africa’s esteemed annual décor exhibition, popular with interior designers, architects, home renovators and the city’s design-conscious crowd.
MAY
May is for the foodies. A two week festival of fine food and wine, the Cape Town Good Food and Wine Show has something to tantalize everyone’s tastebuds, featuring top local and international chefs.
Join the Prince Albert Olive Festival and enjoy games and activities for the whole family, a town meander to take in the arts, crafts, unusual shops and amazing collections.
JUNE
The Cape Town Funny Festival is certainly the Mother City’s premier comedy festival and runs for five weeks at the Baxter Theatre – hilarious nights.
Join thousands of younger wine lovers at South Africa’s biggest regional wine festival, the Wacky Wine Weekend in the beautiful Robertson Wine Valley.
Are you a docu-lover? Encounters is a South African International Documentary Festival, which showcases a selection of documentary films from around the world, with a particular focus on South African work.
JULY
Make your way to the Franschhoek Bastille Festival, where locals and visitors celebrate the valley’s centuries-old French Huguenot heritage known as ‘Quatorze Juillet’ every year.
Enjoy the Cape Town International Fashion Week – a proudly South African show with the latest designs from both the established and talented up and coming local fashion designers.
AUGUST
Clanwilliam is the gateway to South Africa’s finest floral region, and opens its doors every year for the Clanwilliam Wild Flower Show, showcasing the inimitable flora.
The Adventure Festival celebrates Adventure Sports and welcomes participants of all fitness levels. Various sporty events run throughout the weekend, as well as a little film festival. It’s a great weekend for the whole family.
SEPTEMBER
Creative Week Cape Town showcases creativity in design, music, film, theatre, business, innovation, digital media, fine arts and crafts in Cape Town.
The Hermanus Whale Festival is a 10-day festival (about an hour’s drive from Cape Town) and celebrates the annual return of Southern Right Whales to South African waters.
Carefully chosen wine lovers and wine buyers are formally invited to the Nederburg Auction to bid for some of the most sought after and unique South African wines ever made.While a major event on the Cape Town calendar this event is not open to the public.
OCTOBER
The International Kite Festival in Muizenberg is a large charity event that brings the biggest kites in the world together with the local experimentialists.
Rocking The Daisies festival has a rocking reputation. It’s an environmentally friendly music and lifestyle festival in Darling.
Plus, October time is Halloween time.
NOVEMBER
The Big Walk – Thousands of people walk for charity between Simon’s Town and Cape Town – a distance of over 80km. It is the biggest timed walk in the world.
The Kirstenbosch Sunday Summer Concerts are guaranteed crowd pleasers in Cape Town from November to April, and feature a broad range of musical performances in the lush setting of a world famous botanical garden.
The Cape Town Festival of Beer will be a weekend to remember (or not, as the case may be). The three day beer festival celebrates all things beer, with world class brewers, local micro breweries, awesome local entertainment, great food and activities.
Summer is on it’s way, so get out there and party in Cape Town in November.
DECEMBER
Mother City Queer Projects (MCQP) party – this has become one of Cape Town’s biggest and best annual parties and a kick-start into summer for South Africa’s ‘gay capital’.
The Paul Cluver Forest Amphitheatre provides a unique, natural venue for unforgettable evenings under the stars. The Paul Cluver Summer Festival is a combination of pre-performance meals, complimented by Paul Cluver Wines, nature, culture and good entertainment.
‘It’s beginning to look a lot like… CHRISTMAS’. The Adderley Street is lit every Christmas with street lights and it is also the site of the popular Street Night Market over Christmas with an array of stalls and some great entertainment.
It’s party time in Cape Town in December.
