Cape Town Events & Festivals

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Cape Town Minstrel Carnival
Every New Year, thousands of minstrels take to the streets in a dazzling display of colorful satin uniforms, shiny parasols, painted faces and foot-tapping banjo tunes that accompany the traditional folk songs, many of Cape Malay origin. The parade is known colloquially as the 'Coon Carnival' ('coon' referring to a member of a minstrel troupe) among the predominately Afrikaans-speaking 'colored' community who make up the majority of the performers. The traditional event has its origins in the 19th century when minstrel entertainers on American cruise

ships stopped off in Cape Town; their sounds and styles were incorporated into the New Year festivals of the newly freed Malay slaves. The Carnival begins in the new year and the festivities continue into January with extravagant street parades; singing, dancing, costume competitions and marches through the streets from the central city area of District Six.
Venue: Streets of Cape Town and Greenpoint Stadium
Date: 2 January, annually
Time: 9am

Mother City Queer Project (MCQP) Costume Party
Now in its 14th year, the 12-hour MCQP party is the biggest annual gay event in South Africa, attracting a diverse crowd of people from around the world. Each year party-goers come in teams dressed according to the theme that changes every year (Matric Dance - Back to School in 2007). Costumes are usually elaborate, sexy and worn without inhibition, and the event is immensely popular with both gay and straight communities. Different dance arenas play various types of music to party the night away.
Venue: Cape Town High School
Date: 22 - 23 December 2008
Time: 9pm to 9am
Website: www.mcqp.co.za

J&B Met
One of the most prestigious and anticipated events on Cape Town's social calendar, the J&B Met is not only about thoroughbreds, but is a day of glamorous fashion, entertainment and sophistication, accompanied by J&B Scotch Whiskey. The R1.5-million prize money is in keeping with its status as the premier horseracing event in South Africa, and the Official After Party is a highly rated post-race event that continues the festivities well into the early hours.
Venue: Kenilworth Race Course
Date: 30 January 2010, TBA
Website: www.jbmet.co.za

Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts
Bring family and friends every Sunday afternoon to relax on the lawns with a picnic and a glass of wine as the sun sets behind the mountain, while listening to a mixed selection of classical and contemporary music. The setting provides for one of the most spectacular concert venues in South Africa, the stage framed by the backdrop of Table Mountain and all around the well-kept beds of the Kirstenbosch Gardens.
Venue: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
Date: 23 November 2008 to 5 April 2009
Time: Sundays 5.30pm to 6.30pm
Website: www.nbi.ac.za

Spring wildflowers
The West Coast National Park incorporates the Langebaan Lagoon and wetland areas, which are the habitat of thousands of migratory and resident waterbirds, a rocky coastline with some beautiful sea views and beaches, and wildlife scattered about the interior bush. It also encompasses the rocky Postberg Peninsula that is carpeted in a glorious tapestry of wildflowers every spring (open August to September only). Visitors come from near and far to see the spectacularly colorful display that the pre-summer season produces all along the west coast. The small town of Darling is at the center of the wildflower region; visitors can walk around the surrounding wildflower reserves and real enthusiasts can visit the Darling Wildflower Show where extravagant displays include the botanical and common names of all flowers exhibited. Call the Flower Hotline on 083 910 1028 for up-to-date information all year round.
Venue: Postberg Section of the West Coast National Park
Date: August to September
Website: www.darlingwildflowers.co.za

Cape Times Waterfront Wine Affair
Featuring many of the Cape's top wine estates, producers and boutique wineries, with over 300 different wines to taste, the Wine Affair offers a unique opportunity to sample many of the Western Cape's finest wines under one roof. Chat to enthusiastic wine makers and mix with wine lovers in a relaxed environment. A variety of wineries also offer a wide selection of gourmet food tastings to complement their wine, while an array of delicacies, such as local and French cheeses, sushi, oysters, olives and olive oils, pestos and chocolate will be available to taste and buy.
Venue: Market Square, V&A Waterfront
Date: 6 - 9 May 2009
Time: 5-9pm
Website: www.waterfront.co.za

Hermanus Whale Festival
Celebrating the Southern Right Whale, the annual festival offers art and crafts, theater, music, a half marathon and surf festival in addition to some of the best shore-based whale watching opportunities in the world. Hermanus boasts the world's only Whale Crier who alerts visitors to whale sightings with a kelp horn every day during whale season. Every year from July to September the Southern Right Whales travel thousands of miles to the southern coast of South Africa to mate and calve in the bays.
Venue: Hermanus
Date: 24 - 27 September 2009
Website: www.whalefestival.co.za

Cape Gourmet Festival
Widely acknowledged as South Africa's premier food, wine, travel and lifestyle event, the annual Gourmet Festival is a blend of culinary events showcasing its restaurant industry to the rest of the world. It is the only African associate of the esteemed World Gourmet Club in St Moritz and is the finest culinary festival on the continent, highlighting international as well as local foods. Incorporated into the extravaganza is the Good Food and Wine Show, the pinnacle of the festival, where chefs cook the best of contemporary South African cuisine.
Venue: Cape Town International Convention Center (CTICC)
Date: Good Food & Wine Show: 28 - 31 May 2009
Time: 10am to 9pm
Website: www.gourmetsa.com

Shakespeare at Maynardville Open-Air Theater
Inspired by the annual productions in London's Regent Park, Shakespeare has been performed every summer at the open-air theater in Wynberg, generally performed with a local twist to add to the entertainment. On warm summer evenings many theater-goers begin the evening by picnicking in the park before the show begins. For more information phone 021 421 7695.
Venue: Maynardville Open-Air Theater
Date: January to February 2010, TBA
Time: 8.15pm
Website: www.maynardville.co.za

Absa Cape Epic
The Absa Cape Epic has established itself as a prestigious international event, attracting a competitive field of riders eager to compete against the best or simply to finish the grueling nine-day off-road race. The event has become the largest full service mountain bike race in the world and is the most televised mountain bike race ever. The route is changed every year, but always offers riders a ride through grueling, but spectacular surroundings, across 559 miles (900km) of unspoilt nature with about 52,493 feet (16,000m) of climbing over some of the most magnificent passes in South Africa. The final day offers spectators and enthusiasts the chance to participate in the festivities with a one day mountain bike race, the Cape Times Vigne à Vigne, as well as a six-mile (10km) trail run. Participants and spectators can enjoy the carnival atmosphere in the afternoon with wine tasting, fine dining and live entertainment, while special activities are laid on for the children that include jumping castles, magicians and balloon artists.
Venue: Start: Gordons Bay; Finish: Lourensford Wine Estate, Somerset West
Date: 20-28 March 2009
Website: www.cape-epic.com

Kirstenbosch Winter Concert Series
Come and enjoy Cape Town 's top musical talent in the warmth of the beautiful Silvertree Restaurant at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Tickets include a welcome drink and soup, and patrons are also welcome to have a main course or dessert and coffee during or after the concert. The annual event continues from the summer sunset concerts (November to April), ensuring visitors a treat in classical and contemporary music all year round. Call 021 799 8783 for more Kirstenbosch event information.
Venue: Silvertree Restaurant, Kirstenbosch Gardens
Date: May to October 2009
Time: 6pm
Website: www.sanbi.org

Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour
The Argus is the largest timed sporting event on earth, attracting more than 35,000 cyclists from around the world. The spectacle is watched by thousands who line the 67-mile (108km) route, which follows some of the Cape's most spectacular coastal scenery. The race is enjoyed by serious cyclists and social riders alike.
Venue: Start: City Center; Finish: Greenpoint Stadium
Date: 8 March 2009
Time: 6.15am
Website: www.cycletour.co.za

Two Oceans Marathon
Boasting some of the most spectacular scenery of any road event on earth, the Two Oceans has become the second most famous ultra-marathon (34.8 miles/56km) in South Africa after the Comrades Marathon. Runners race over and around the mountains of Cape Town every Easter Saturday in what is well known internationally for its scenic beauty despite the grueling course.
Venue: Start: Main Road, Newlands. Finish: UCT sports fields, Upper Campus
Date: 11 April 2009
Time: 6am
Website: www.twooceansmarathon.org.za

Cape Town International Jazz Festival
Ranked as one of the best jazz festivals around the world, the city of Cape Town comes alive for two days in March to the captivating beat of swinging jazz music from around the world. Hosting forty international and African stars, the CTIJF is an awe inspiring musical jam of jazz and its popular music relatives, soul, funk, kwaito, blues and more. Hosting the likes of Cesaria Evora, Herbie Hancock, Youssou N'dour, India Arie, Randy Crawford, Hugh Masekela, George Duke, Al Di Meola, Archie Shepp, Erykah Badu, Miriam Makeba, Andreas Vollenweider and Angie Stone the Cape Town International Jazz Festival is one dynamic music event not to be missed.
Venue: Cape Town International Convention Center (CTICC)
Date: 3-4 April 2009
Website: www.capetownjazzfest.com

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