Cape Town Events

Food and wine festival including demos by top chefs, beer and chocolate theatres and a wine blending workshop.

Youth Day commemorates the day in 1976 when an estimated 20,000 young people from Soweto led a demonstration against the segregated Bantu Education system. The demonstration was put down with brutal force and around 700 people, many of them students, were killed. Youth Day remembers the occasion with a day of ceremonies, parades and historic exhibitions. Youth Day is a public holiday throughout South Africa.

The Cape Town Festival is a three-day annual event that puts on a programme of cultural activities and entertainment. Covering art, music, dance, film, comedy, theatre, street art, cuisine and much more, the event has an eclectic feel and offers something for visitors of all ages. The aim of the festival is to deliver a varied, multicultural arts programme which reflects not just the city's, but the whole country's ethnic and cultural diversity.

Each year at the V&A Waterfront Amphitheatre in Cape Town, people gather to celebrate National Women's Day. The day celebrates the achievements and accomplishments of women not only from South Africa but from all over the world. It is a public holiday throughout the country.

First held in 1903, the Cape Times FNB Big Walk consists of eight different stages all beginning on a different part of the Cape Peninsula and all finishing at the Rhodes High School in Mowbray. Each route is tailored to different levels of ability and include timed 80km (50 miles), 50km (31 miles), 30km (18.6 miles), 25km (15.5 miles) and 20km (12.4 miles) courses and untimed 15km (14.3 miles), 10km (6.2 miles) and 5km (3.1 miles) courses. There is also a special children's walk that follows a route along the canal. The walk is a fundraising event for the South African Guide-Dogs Association and the Habitat for Humanity charity organisations.

A real treat for whisky connoisseurs and anyone working in the industry, the annual Whisky Live Festival brings together approximately 160 different whisky brands under the one roof. There is also a special VIP area that is open to 100 visitors per night where ticket holders are treated to a selection of whisky cocktails, dinner and exclusive pampering. A range of luxury products - ranging from fine watches to handmade furniture - are also on display at the event.

Under South Africa's apartheid segregation system, 16 December was known as 'Day of the Vow', harking back to the vow the Voortrekkers made to God before a now infamous bloody battle with the Zulus. When the apartheid system was finally abolished in 1994, 16 December remained as a public holiday throughout South Africa but was renamed as the Day of Reconciliation. The day is now used to celebrate South Africa's cultural diversity and national unity.

See in the New Year with a bang at Cape Town's V&A Waterfront at the ever popular New Year's Eve Bash. With a programme of live music, street performers and other entertainers, this is one of the biggest New Year parties in the city and always attracts thousands of visitors. On the stroke of midnight, a fireworks display lights up the picturesque Waterfront area.

An incredibly colourful spectacle, the annual Kaapse Klopse (Cape Minstrels' Carnival) is a traditional New Year's celebration which originally marked the one day off a year that the slaves were granted by their masters. The modern day event is a flamboyant affair involving costumed dancers, a colourful parade, live music, entertainment, cultural shows and row upon row of food and drinks stalls. The event has become a popular spectacle that sees Cape Town's streets filled with exuberant revellers.

On the day after New Year's Day, South Africans celebrate Tweede Nuwe-Jaar or the 'Second New Year'. Entire communities turn out to take part in the celebrations which take over the city centre at this incredibly colourful event. Visitors can expect to enjoy a lively mix of music, dancing in the streets, costumed parades, food and drink stalls and other attractions as part of this fun and friendly event.

Ten days of gay celebrations including a gay film festival, culminating in an exuberant Pride Parade on the last day.

A gruelling 108km (67miles) race around the peninsula, billed as the world's largest timed cycling race and attracting at least 35,000 entrants.

Arts, culture and heritage festival to promote unity within the city through music, dance and cultural performances.

Human Rights Day marks the foundation of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) in 1996, and the day is now a public holiday in South Africa. The day also sees many remember the tragedy of Sharpeville Day on which demonstrators were gunned down and killed by police officers. With the aim of fostering understanding, acceptance, human rights for all and a peaceful future, the day includes a series of talks and exhibitions.

The annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival is one of the most important events of its kind in the whole of Africa, and attracts some the biggest names from the world of jazz music. About 40 acts, including a plethora of South African talent, perform during the two-day event. There is also a free concert in Greenmarket Square the night before the official festival begins.

Beginning at Newlands, runners follow a picturesque route that takes in some of Cape Town's most spectacular scenery earning it the nickname amongst some race-regulars as the 'most beautiful marathon in the world'. Conquering tough, arduous climbs rewards participants with stunning views out across the Cape Peninsula. In addition to the full 56km (34.8 mile) Ultra Marathon course, there is also the option for the 21.1km (13.1 mile) Half Marathon or the Fun Run courses. A great atmosphere takes over the city as large crowds turn out to cheer on the runners.

Celebrating the occasion of the first democratic elections in South Africa which took place on 27 April 1994, this day is marked with special cultural events and exhibitions in various venues across the city. It is also a public holiday throughout South Africa.