March:
The Lambert’s Bay Crayfish Festival — March 17 to 20. Feast yourself silly on the freshest West Coast crayfish and enjoy some of South Africa’s top musical talents. The food is great, the beers cold and the vibes are friendly.
Splashy Fen, KwaZulu-Natal — March 24 to 28. A must for music-lovers and those inspired by the great outdoors. And this pilgrimage to the Underberg need not be a hiking, fishing, camping experience. Great bed-and-breakfasts in close-by towns mean that you get the best of both worlds.
The Tonteldoos Peach Festival — March 28. This event takes place at Tonteldoos Farm near Dullstroom. Accommodation is available to suit all budgets and it’s just more than two hour’s drive from Jozi. Don’t miss out on the peach mampoer tastings.
April:
Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees, Oudtshoorn — March 25 to April 2. A great opportunity to explore the countryside and take in some local arts and culture. Accommodation is available in family homes during the fees and there are also great bed-and-breakfasts in town (book immediately). If you experience entertainment overload and need to get away, explore the eclectic heritage of this town with its Cango Caves and ostrich mansions.
The Dutch Festival, Tulbagh — April 16 and 17. ”A Gezellig Feestje for the whole family.” So says the Tulbagh Tourism website. The Dutch Festival takes place along Church Street. Food is the main focus. A traditional Dutch beer garden is part of the package and the tulip exhibition at the Volksmuseum is a highlight.
May:
The Philippolis Witblits Festival —weekend of April 2. An annual event that promises the worst hangover of your year. The oldest town in the Free State can be found between Colesberg and Trompsberg in the Free State and, once a year, it shakes off its lethargic persona to share a good old dop with its neighbours. Look out for boeresports for the kids and the launch of a witblits recipe book.
The Riebeek Kasteel Olive Festival — May 6 to 8. This festival takes place in the Swartland and is a feast of wine, the best olives in the country and opera, not to mention the olive tastings and olive-spitting competitions. There are also stalls, cookathons and local performances.
The Prince Albert Food and Wine Festival — May 6 and 7. Take a heady journey over the Swartberg Pass and feast on entertainment, fabulous food and wine and some real platteland bonhomie. There are also a few great retreats and alternative therapy options in the area for those seeking respite from the festivities.
June:
The Grahamstown National Arts Festival — June 30 to July 9. The Makhulu Baas of all festivals celebrates its 31st birthday with song, dance, theatre and film. If it all gets too much, pop off to nearby Port Alfred for a bit of sea, sand and sun. Book accommodation early and take along the thermals for Grahamstown’s sub-zero nights.
July:
The Knysna Oyster Festival — July 1 to 10. A combination of sporting and leisure events (forest marathons and mountain-bike races), navy bands, arts and craft stalls, street carnivals and oyster-eating competitions.
The Calitzdorp Port Festival — July 19 to 31. A proud showcase for the top 15 port producers in the country, one of the main events is a blind port-tasting judged by some of South Africa’s top wine critics. There is also a potjiekos competition and ostrich farm tours — and the annual South African boules championships also take place over this weekend.
Calvinia Vleisvees — July 26 to 28. Whether you like your meat braaied, grilled or stewed, the Calvinia Vleisvees will not disappoint the carnivorous among us. No vegetarians allowed.
September:
The South African National Gold Panning Championships, Pilgrim’s Rest, Mpumalanga — September 22 to 26. The rules are quite simple: competitors pan for gold and the winner is the person who finds the most gold nuggets. Take this opportunity to pause and take in some of the great attractions in the area: God’s Window, Bourke’s Luck Potholes and the Mac Mac Falls.
Gariep Festival, Kimberley. Takes place during September and boasts a line up of local artists including
all-time favourites such as Patricia Lewis, Kurt Darren and Rina Hugo. The film festival side of events has fantastic offerings from some of South Africa’s best filmmakers.
October:
Herman Charles Bosman weekend, Groot Marico, North West Province — October 21 to 23. This weekend takes place every year in October in the little village of Groot Marico. It is said that the indomitable spirit of the famous author incites outlandish behaviour from visitors to the area during this time. Of course, one could blame the mampoer.
November:
The Ficksburg Cherry Festival — November 15 to 20. Celebrating its 37th festival, this event is a great entry point for first-timers to the little eastern Free State dorp. This event is said to attract about 20 000 visitors. There are cherry and asparagus tastings throughout the event and don’t miss out on the crowning of Miss Cherry Blossom and Miss Cherry Pip.
December:
Rustler’s Valley. Always an interesting spot at the end of the year. This year Rustlers will be hosting a West African drumming festival so haul out the djembe and head for the hills. Only for the free-spirited and great unwashed.
The lowdown:
- Lambert’s Bay Crayfish Festival: (027) 432 1000 or visit www.kreeffeeslambertsbaai.co.za
- Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees: (044) 203 8600 or visit www.kknk.co.za
- The Dutch Festival, Tulbagh: (023) 230 1348 or visit www.tulbaghtourism.org.za
- Philippolis Witblits Festival:
(051) 773 0002/0203 or visit www.philippolis.org.za
- Riebeek Kasteel Olive Festival: (022) 487 1133 or contact Orland Firmani on (082) 773 9045 or [email protected]
- Prince Albert Food and Wine Festival: (023) 541 1366
- Grahamstown National Arts Festival: (046) 603 1103 or visit www.nafest.co.za
- Knysna Oyster Festival:
(044) 382 5510 or visit www.oysterfestival.co.za or www.visitknysna.co.za
- Calitzdorp Port Festival:
(044) 213 3775 or visit www.calitzdorp.co.za. Alternatively, mail the organisers at Bo-Plaas, [email protected]
- Calvinia Vleisvees: (027) 341 2549 or, in future, visit www.vleisfees.co.za (website currently under construction).
- South African Gold Panning Championships: (013) 768 1417/2 or visit www.mpumalanga.com
- Gariep Festival: Visit www.gariep.co.za
- Herman Charles Bosman Festival: (083) 272 2958 or e-mail [email protected]
- Ficksburg Cherry Festival: www.cherryfestival.co.za
- Rustler’s Valley End of Year celebrations: www.rustlers.co.za
- Splashy Fen: www.splashyfen.co.za
- Helpful contacts include a fantastic local website at www.festivals.co.za or visit South African Tourism’s website on www.southafrica.net.