Western Cape Events

The Western Cape’s calendar runs from a carnival with roots in slavery to a season of jazz and wine.

Kaapse Klopse — 2 January

The Cape Town Minstrel Carnival, and the province’s most distinctive event. Thousands of performers in troupes of up to a few hundred, dressed in matching satin suits and painted faces, parade through the city playing banjo, ghoema drum and brass, singing moppies and Dutch-derived nederlandsliedjies. It is held on Tweede Nuwe Jaar — the second of January — because that was historically the one day of the year enslaved people were given off, the day after their owners’ celebrations. The troupes rehearse for months, competition between them is intense, and the whole thing is a living link to a history the city is still working through. Crowds are large; go with a plan for getting home.

Cape Town International Jazz Festival — usually March or April

One of the largest jazz festivals in the southern hemisphere, with local and international acts across several stages.

Whale season — June to November

Southern right whales calve in Walker Bay, close enough to watch from the Hermanus cliff path; the whale festival falls in late September.

Harvest and wine festivals — January to April

The winelands hold harvest events through the picking season, from the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek celebrations to small estate open days, usually involving grape treading, long tables and a great deal of tasting.

Wildflower season — August and September

The West Coast and Namaqualand bloom for a few weeks after the winter rain, with the Darling and Postberg reserves the accessible places to see it.