Summer is finally here and Cape Town is the place to be. Here are the Top Events at the Cape Town Big 6 this November: Table Mountain Cableway, Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, Robben Island, V&A Waterfront, Cape Point, and Groot Constantia.
Cape Point
#BeTheFirst
No queues – that’s right, no queues. One of the joys of being the first at Cape Point is that everyone else is still asleep. You snooze, you lose.
Cheaper funicular rates – from 1 November they’re launching differential rates for the funicular. If you ride the funicular between 9 am and 12 pm, you pay R70 for a return ticket (normally R80).
Date: Daily | Time: 09:00 – 12:00 | Venue: Cape Point | Cost: R30 return Child ticket, R70 return Adult ticket
The Flying Dutchman Funicular
Ride the Flying Dutchman Funicular up to the viewing point below the old lighthouse.
Date: Daily | Time: 12:00 – 17:30 | Venue: Cape Point | Cost: R35 return Child ticket, R80 return Adult ticket
Two Oceans Restaurant
The Two Oceans Restaurant occupies an enviable position above False Bay at the southwestern tip of Africa. The restaurant is as famous for its seafood cuisine as it is for a superb wooden deck that looks out onto one of the most stunning ocean views in South Africa.
Date: Daily | Time: 09:00 – 17:00 | Venue: Cape Point | Cost: varies
Groot Constantia
Visitors Route Experience
Enjoy the new Visitor Route Experience where one ticket gives you entrance to the Manor House Museum, original Cloete Cellar, a cellar tour, wine tasting, and Spiegelau Crystal wine glass.
Date: Daily | Time: 10:00 – 17:00 | Venue: Manor House | Cost: R105 per person or Visitors Route Experience Ticket + Chocolate & Wine Pairing: R155 per person.
Wine Tasting
Visit one of two tasting rooms to sample and purchase a selection of Groot Constantia’s award-winning wines
Date: Daily | Time: 09:00 – 18:00 | Venue: Tasting Hall | Cost: 5 wines for R90
Chocolate and Wine Pairing
5 delectable chocolates paired with 5 of their award-winning wines.
Date: Daily | Time: 09:00 – 18:00 | Venue: Tasting Hall | Cost: R140
Fine Dining
Groot Constantia offers fine dining at Jonkershuis & Simon’s Restaurant and gourmet picnics from Simon’s Deli. Pair great meals with their amazing wines while enjoying the spectacular views of the Constantia Valley.
Jonkershuis: Sunday – Thursday: 09:00 – 17:00, Fridays and Saturdays: 09:00 – 21:00 and Breakfast: Monday to Sunday: 09:00 – 11:30
Simon’s Restaurant: Open 7 days a week: 09:00 – 21:00 (except Wednesdays and Sundays – close at 17:00) and Breakfast – Monday to Sunday: 09:00 – 12:00
Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden
Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts
| DATE | ARTIST | COST | BUY TICKETS |
| 18 November 2018 | Tresor/Majozi | R150/p – R190/p | BOOK NOW |
| 25 November 2018 | Mango Groove | R150/p – R190/p | BOOK NOW |
Times: Gates open 16h00, concerts start time varies between 17h00, 17h15 and 17h30, concerts end at 19h00.
Book tickets online on www.webtickets.co.za. Please note that Webtickets is the ONLY online ticketing partner. Kirstenbosch cannot guarantee that tickets purchased from third parties will be valid.
Galileo Open Air Cinema
The Galileo Open Air Cinema welcomes you to a magical movie experience of cinematic delights, tantalizing treats and breath-taking scenery under a canopy of stars.
Doors open at 6 pm. Arrive early to reserve your seat under the stars and enjoy a magical market experience of delicious artisanal food and beverages, interactive games, music, and fun.
The movie starts after sunset.
7 November – Vancouver Int. Mountain Film Festival
14 November – Coyote Ugly
21 November – Lady Bird
28 November – The Vow
Buy your tickets here: http://thegalileo.co.za/buy-tickets/
Robben Island
Explore South Africa’s political past with an informative tour at the maximum security prison. But Robben Island isn’t just about the political past of our country, keep an eye out for the African penguins that are on the island.
The ferry ride to Robben Island is an adventure in itself, enjoy spectacular views of Table Mountain from the upper deck of the ferry if you are lucky, you may even spot some dolphins or seals frolicking in the waves.
Tour the Robben Island surrounds in a guided bus tour and view the Robben Island shipwrecks, 19th-century Lighthouse; the only lighthouse in South Africa to use a flashing light instead of a revolving light.
A former Robben Island inmate will guide you while on the island, and you’ll receive unparalleled insight into the significant role that each of the Robben Island’s inmates collectively played throughout apartheid. You will be guided to the maximum security prison, various Robben Island exhibition displays and a visit to Nelson Mandela’s prison cell.
You will also be able to visit the World War 2 canons and a limestone quarry where Madiba, and so many others, crushed limestone.
To conclude the day buy a souvenir at the Robben Island Curio shop.
The Robben Island Museum App was developed to offer users around the globe an opportunity to experience and explore the Island’s multi-layered history and sites. Download it from the Google Play Store here. Ferries depart 9 am, 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm – weather permitting. You can buy tickets online or in-person at the Robben Island Museum.
Table Mountain Cableway
Sunset Special
This lekker deal sees South Africans with valid IDs get a 50% discount on our tickets AND allows you to experience an African sunset from the summit of Table Mountain, our New 7 Wonder of Nature, this summer. The Sunset Special is available from 1 November 2018 to 28 February 2018 (excluding 20 December 2018 to 2 January 2019).
We know you are as excited as we are for this must-have experience, so here are some tips to ensure you enjoy our Sunset Special:
– Book your tickets online or onsite: as Sunset Special tickets will be available in limited supply when you book online or onsite at our Ticket Office. Please remember, though, that you may only use them from 6 pm every evening.
Seniors Special
South African senior citizens over the age of 60 years qualify for discounted rates on return tickets every Friday, upon producing a valid South African ID. They also have a meal special for pensioners at the Table Mountain Café on Fridays. Chat with a cashier about redeeming your meal special.
Date: Every Day | Time: 08:30 – 17:30 | Venue: Lower Cable Station Ticket Office | Cost: R100 return or R53 one way on Fridays only | Weather Permitting
Guided Walks
Thirty-minute guided tours happen on the hour from 09:00 to 15:00 daily, departing from the Twelve Apostles Terrace (below the Café). These are free, family-friendly walks conducted by our staff, who will share the story of Table Mountain and the Cableway, and provide any assistance you may require.
Date: Daily | Time: 09:00 – 15:00 | Venue: Twelve Apostles Terrace | Cost: Free
Audio Tour
Learn about the flora and fauna of the summit, at your own pace, with our free Audio Tour. Download the free application to your mobile device – using out free Wi-Fi – plug in your earphones and begin your self-guided tour at the Lower Cable Station. For a step-by-step guide on how to download the VoiceMap application to your mobile device, click here.
V&A Waterfront
Cape Town Buskers Festival
International and local buskers are headed for the V&A Waterfront as the third Cape Town Buskers Festival gets underway. The Buskers Festival will have a programme of free-to-enter performances on five stages at the V&A Waterfront. Audiences pay for what they like and can do so by putting money into the performers’ hats, a tradition called ‘hatting’. Cape Town Buskers Festival CEO Tony Lankester says, ‘In many respects busking is the original crowdfunding. It’s also one of the oldest forms of theatre but, in South Africa, it’s not always accorded the same respect as other performance arts.
Date: 1 – 11 November | Time: 12:00 – 20:00 | Venue: Amphitheatre | Cost: Free
Silo Concert | Cape Philharmonic Orchestra
The Silo Concerts are back! On Friday, 2 November the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra will enthrall visitors to the outdoor Silo District Concert at the V&A Waterfront.
The (free) concert will begin at 7 pm. Founded in 1914, the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra in Cape Town is one of the most versatile and active orchestras on the African continent and has received international recognition for its work, which spans almost all musical genres.
Date: 2 November | Time: 19:00 – 20:15 | Venue: Silo District | Cost: Free
Grand Moon
As winter closes its doors, Grand Cafe opens theirs to invite you to celebrate the beginning of summer in true Grand style. Grand Africa Café & Beach, in association with Music People, will host the second edition of the Grand Moon summer opening party on 3rd November 2018.
Much like the last summer opening, expect to be wowed with the incredible Ibizan act Sacred Performances, who will be taking their performance to the next level for this special occasion. This team will be performing alongside a host of DJs throughout the day and long into the night, bringing the European flair that is so unique in Cape Town.
French DJ and producer Maga will be the headline DJ of the event. His beautiful, deep and melodic sound will be the perfect backdrop for this beach party.
We cannot wait to have you there to celebrate the start of summer under the Moon.
Date: 3 November | Time: 12:00 – 00:00 | Venue: Granger Bay District | Tickets: www.grandafrica.com/
Cheese and Wine Fair
Join us through a Journey of Artisan Cheese and Wines. Enjoy sunset celebrations with DJ Rene The Frenchman as Marco V at Life Grand Cafe V&A Waterfront on Saturday 10 November.
Date: 10 November | Time: 14:00 – 22:00 | Venue: Pierhead | Tickets: https://www.quicket.co.za/events/43353-life-grand-cafe-cheese-and-wine-fair/#/
Galileo Open Air Cinema
The Galileo Open Air Cinema welcomes you to a magical movie experience of cinematic delights, tantalizing treats and breath-taking scenery under a canopy of stars.
Doors open at 6 pm. Arrive early to reserve your seat under the stars and enjoy a magical market experience of delicious artisanal food and beverages, interactive games, music, and fun.
The movie starts after sunset.
9 November – Back To The Future
23 November – The Mountain Between Us
Buy your tickets here: http://thegalileo.co.za/buy-tickets/
Free Astronomy Outreach
Astronomy is not only about star gazing, one can also view the sun, with sunspots, if any, through special telescope filters and can discuss our nearest star with any of the Cape Centre members. One can also calculate the distance from the earth to the sun by measuring the length of certain shadows. The moon (First Quarter) is also visible in the afternoons of our outreach days and becomes increasingly spectacular through a telescope as the night becomes darker. Approximately four billion years of astronomical history are etched on its battered surface which raises the question of why the earth does not appear to be so pitted with craters and dark volcanic ‘seas’. Lastly, there is usually at least one planet visible in the night sky, the most exciting being Jupiter with its four Galilean moons and Saturn with its rings.
Date: 25 February – 15 December | Time: 15:00 – 21:30 | Venue: V&A Waterfront Pierhead, between wooden deck & chess board | Cost: Free
Share your top Cape Town Big 6 events with us!
Connect with us via our Cape Town Big 6 Facebook or Twitter page. Better yet, snap an Instagram shot of your favourite outdoor moment and tag @CapeTownBig6 #CTBig6
ONE DESTINATION, SIX UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES
There is no one way to explore all of the Cape Town Big 6, and much of what makes each of them so special is the variety of things to see and do at each. So if possible, take your time to explore each of the city’s most visited tourist attractions in as much depth as possible – as any local will tell you, you can spend a lifetime at each of the Big 6 and still not tire of them. Find the 3 and 4 day itineraries and tips here.