What’s on in Cape Town this winter
There’s plenty to see and do in Cape Town this winter.
EVENTS
Jive Cape Town Funny Festival (1 – 28 July 2019)
Cape Town’s best loved laugh-fest kicked off in 1997 as the country’s first comedy festival. Today it attracts the best comedic acts in the world. In the early years an unknown Jimmy Carr and Ross Noble graced the festival stages, and almost all of South Africa’s comedy icons have appeared at the festival at some point—Stuart Taylor, Kurt Schoonraad, Nik Rabinowitz, Marc Lottering, Riaad Moosa, and South Africa’s most famous export Trevor Noah, to name a few.
Pechakucha Nights Cape Town
Prepare to be inspired, challenged and enlightened with short talks on art, design, culture and experiences.
First Thursdays (year-round)
On the first Thursday of every month, arts and culture in Cape Town has a late night, with dozens of art galleries and cultural events showcasing the wealth of talent that the Mother City has on offer – hence the name First Thursdays. The event is completely free, with no structured tour, and no schedule to follow, you are free to absorb it all at your own leisure.
Good Night Fridays (last Friday of July, August & September from 6 – 10pm)
Take back the night this winter, at the V&A Good Night Fridays, a soiree of activity on the last Friday of every month in July, August and September. The programme sees a hub of activities from, whatever your fancy, from creative installations and vinyl DJS at the Watershed, to food & drink experiences coupled with toe tapping entertainment on the pierhead, or make your way to the Silo district for art and design installations, it’s the perfect night out to enjoy the charm and nostalgia of winter at the V&A, at no charge. Grab a map and pick your starting point to your night of discovery.
Cape Town Festival of Running (20 – 21 July 2019)
Whether you love ultra-running, prefer the half marathon distance, or want to share a fun day out with friends & family in the 5 x 5km Relay – the Cape Town Festival of Running offers something for everyone!
Future Production Technologies Convention (31 July – 1 August 2019)
FPTC 2019 is presented by the Production Technologies Association of South Africa with the support of Intrimbi and NTIP. It will bring together business owners and senior management involved in all aspects of production. This highly influential group will meet to discuss how the Fourth Industrial Revolution will reshape the future of production, future trading and our lifestyles.
Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction Showcase (15 August 2019)
The Nedbank CWG Auction Showcase is an informal (walk around) tasting of the wines that have been produced exclusively for the 2019 Nedbank CWG Auction by the members of the Cape Winemakers Guild. The wines that will be on offer at the auction are considered to be the very best from the best winemakers in South Africa. There will also be a silent auction of signed bottles of past CWG auction wines and all funds raised will be donated to the Nedbank CWG Development Trust.
Cape Town HOMEMAKERS Expo (29 August – 1 September 2019)
Themed Raw Comfort, the 24th Cape Town HOMEMAKERS Expo will take place from 29 August to 1 September at the CTICC. See, touch and feel the very latest in home, décor, design and lifestyle trends you have come to love. Be treated to a comprehensive display of the top brands and local craftsmanship under one roof. Show highlights include INTERIOR spaces, d’VINE lift, truly ARTISINAL, OUTside, the home | tuis Theatre, the concrete WORKSHOP, the AV Emporium, as well as The Kitchen.
The Greatest Little Circus Show (24 – 25 August 2019)
A brand new show to wow audiences of all ages. Nail-biting aerials to extraordinary ground acts and catchy acrobatics, to authentic African dancing, the Zip Zap performers promise a show that will keep both your mouth and eyes wide open all while dancing in your seat.
SA Innovation Summit (1 – 13 September 2019)
The SA Innovation summit presents a thought leader conference that bridges all players in the innovation system, namely business (large and small that are the implementers of innovation), academics (the creators of new knowledge) and government (the enablers of innovation through incentives and legislation). 3245 speakers participate in the conference and their concepts are echoed in the Market on the Edge. The market functions as an exhibition area and takes the participant into a space where innovation is in action; where the pitchers in the Pitching Den pitch for support, the Inventors Garage showcase prototypes and new traders sell their innovative products.
Sanlam Cape Town Marathon (14 – 15 September 2019)
The Sanlam Cape Town Marathon is Africa’s only IAAF Gold label status marathon. It is managed by a partnership between WPA, the City of Cape Town and ASEM Running and is endorsed by two of South Africa’s sporting greats, Elana Meyer and Francois Pienaar.
THEATRE
Once on this island (10 – 13 July 2019)
Northlink College celebrates storytelling with this rousing Calypso-flavoured tale of one small girl who finds love in a world of prejudice. From the Tony Award-winning team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty comes the Olivier Award – winning Once on This Island. This highly original and Theatrical adaptation of the popular fairy tale, The Little Mermaid, garnered eight Tony nominations.
#JustMen (17 July – 3 August 2019)
Following its overwhelming success in 2018 #JustMen returns to the Baxter by popular demand. With the worldwide outbreak of #MeToo disclosures which has seen countless woman breaking the silence on sexual abuse as well as the frequent SA news headlines of our children being raped, abused and murdered, it has been a long time coming for men to take collective ownership of what is a man’s issue. #JustMen has been commissioned by the Baxter Theatre Centre and funded by the City of Cape Town to proactively tackle this issue and empower a unified stand from men. It is a multi-lingual docu-drama about men taking a stand against men who abuse woman and children. The purpose is to engage through honest conversation about what it takes to transform the collective responsibility, accountability and behaviour around the culture of male abuse of women and children.
A night at the Opera Gala (20 July 2019)
An evening of beautiful music featuring arias, duets and excerpts from operas by Mozart, Rossini, Bellini, Verdi, Puccini, Bizet and more. South African music-lovers will welcome the chance to hear South Africa’s leading cultural luminaries, the internationally acclaimed sopranos Goitsemang Lehobye and Nozuko Teto, mezzo-soprano Bongiwe Nakani, and tenors Sipho Fubesi and Owen Metsileng will give a joint concert titled A Night at the Opera Gala, in Cape Town on 20 July 2019 hosted by the multiple award-winning baritone, Njabulo Madlala. ‘The concert is accompanied by one of today’s most exciting operatic maestros, Kamal Khan.
Once Upon A Dance Night (26 – 27 July 2019)
A theatrical dance show in the form of a fairytale story, featuring a cast of actors and dancers from both belly dance and hip hop. Proceeds of the show will be in aid of Scarlett Paws to assist animal shelters in need.
Not a musical (29 July – 20 September 2019)
Not a Musical is Marc Lottering’s latest stand-up show. Lottering is back at the Baxter, fresh from his maiden trip to Thailand. What happens in Phuket, does not stay in Phuket. He has brand new stories to tell, from frantic snorkelling to fashionable depression. Marc Lottering is one of South Africa’s top comedians, and celebrates 21 years in the business.
Tankiso Live: the audacity to be (6 – 17 August 2019)
Tankiso Live: THE AUDACITY TO BE will be the second instalment of a long term musical project by Cape Town based musician Tankiso Mamabolo. Tankiso has made it her business to take protest and turn it into educational and engaging material in the form of original music, spoken word and the use of projected imagery and comedy. Her music deals with a range of topics, from childhood experiences, loss, heartbreak, love, oppression, marginalization to hope and healing in an attempt to promote self-discovery and ownership of ones narrative. She does this by centering the stories of black women and writing from their point of view.
Sleeping Beauty (17 – 31 August 2019)
The timeless story of Princess Aurora based on Perrault’s familiar fairytale, widely considered to be a summation of 19th-century classicism. The story of Aurora’s 100-year sleep and her magical awakening will leave audiences of all ages delighted and entranced. International guest artists and live orchestra at certain performances.
Stomp (11 – 22 September 2019)
For almost three decades STOMP has been wowing audiences all over the world with its unique blend of rhythm, movement, comedy and dance. A theatrical experience for the whole family like no other, STOMP is the event that has shown the globe that even the most ordinary objects like plastic bags, bin lids, brooms and even the kitchen sink can be brought to life in extraordinary ways.
MARKETS
Cape Town Markets (year-round)
Market shopping is big in Cape Town with the Mother City’s inhabitants loving nothing more than browsing a selection of stalls, selling everything from curios and clothes, to delectable food and drinks.
Also see, Cape Town Tourism’s 100 Things to do this winter.
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Published |
August 5, 2024
