Spring is in the air. Here are the Top Events at the Cape Town Big 6 this September: Table Mountain Cableway, Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, Robben Island, V&A Waterfront, Cape Point, and Groot Constantia.
Cape Point
SANParks Week
South African National Parks (SANParks) will be hosting its 13th annual SA National Parks Week from 10 to 14 September 2018. This initiative in partnership with Total South Africa and FNB is in line with SANParks vision statement of ‘A sustainable National Park System Connecting Society’.
The week grants free access to most of the 21 national parks for day visitors, especially people from the local communities. It should be noted that free access to parks does not in include free access to accommodation facilities and other tourist activities.
Date: 10 – 15 September | Free entry excludes Boulders Penguin Colony
The Flying Dutchman Funicular
Ride the Flying Dutchman Funicular up to the viewing point below the old lighthouse.
Date: Daily | Time: 09:00 – 17:30 | Venue: Cape Point | Cost: R30 return Child ticket, R70 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
My Green Card
The TMNP My Green Card is available exclusively to residents of Cape Town and provides the holder with 12 free entries into any of the Table Mountain National Park’s pay points: Cape of Good Hope (Cape Point), Boulders Penguin Colony, Oudekraal and Silvermine, as well as to the braai and picnic areas at Tokai, Newlands and Perdekloof.
When buying a card – you will need R135 for the card; a South African ID document; 2 ID photographs and proof of residence. Learn more here
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: R95 per person or Visitors Route Experience Ticket + Chocolate & Wine Pairing: R140 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 R80
4 delectable chocolates paired with 4 of their award-winning wines.
Date: Daily | Time: 09:00 – 18:00 | Venue: Tasting Hall | Cost: R125
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
Wednesday Talk
We have our Wednesday talk with Mary van Blommestein, titled ‘The world of Marie Sibylla Merian: 17th-century artist and naturalist.
Date: 5 September | Time: 10:30 – 11:30 | Venue: Richard Crowie Hall, gate 2 | Cost: Entrance to the Display is free but admission charges to the garden apply.
Bird Walk
Kirstenbosch Bird Walks led by volunteer birders from the Cape Bird Club and the Tygerberg Bird Club.
We meet at the information desk at Gate 1, the walks usually last around 2 hours and everyone is welcome. The walks are free, however there is an entrance fee for the Gardens, except on a Tuesday so long as you are a SA senior, then entrance to the gardens is free.
Date: 11 September | Time: 08:00 | Venue: information desk at Gate 1, | Cost: Entrance to the Display is free but admission charges to the garden apply.
Clivia Display
The Cape Clivia Club will hold a display of clivia in all varieties, forms and colours. Advice will be freely given to persons interested in growing clivia, and plants and seeds will be available for sale.
Date: 15 – 16 September | Time: 09:00 – 17:00 | Venue: Richard Crowie Hall, gate 2 | Cost: Entrance to the Display is free but admission charges to the garden apply.
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
Get Ready for the 3-For-1 Kidz Season Special at Cableway
Calling all South Africans – Table Mountain Cableway’s 3-for-1 Kidz Season special returns on Friday, 27 April and runs until Monday, 24 September 2018!
Now available every day of the week for South Africans only, the special sees two children under 18 years of age riding for free, with every adult return ticket purchased at the special Kidz Season rate of R250 at the Lower Station Ticket Office or online here.
Parents purchasing tickets must ensure they have their valid South African ID or ID number on hand.
All young explorers will receive a treasure hunt map, as well as vouchers for the Shop at the Top and Table Mountain Café.
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 to a cashier about redeeming your meal special.
Date: Every Friday | 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
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
#GinHighTea at Ginja
Think “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party” – a buffet of sweet and savoury treats to choose from and a gin table which allows you to build your own bespoke cocktails with all the complimentary Fitch and Leedes tonic you need. This month we feature Cape Town Gin Company.
Date: 1 September | Time: 12:00 – 12:00 | Venue: Ginja Restaurant | Cost: R160
SA Street Food Festival
On a stick or in a bun, the annual Street Food Festival is back for the 5th time in 2018 to celebrate street food in its varied forms. Custodians of South African street food culture, those who have settled here bringing tastes of home with them, or food trucks making fare inspired by the streets of foreign cities: you’ll find it all at the Street Food Festival.
Each year the event is conceptualised and produced by culinary-minded experience designers Studio H. African flavours have become a worldwide trend and this serves as the inspiration for this year’s festival.
Following the success of previous years, in 2018 the Street Food Festival will be expanding to include 10 days of festivities which will kick off with a launch party at House of Machines in Cape Town on the 31st of August.
As always there’ll be an unmissable line-up of crate talks by local food entrepreneurs. In Cape Town listen to talks by Dial-A-Koesister whose Sunday morning deliveries bring delicious warm koesisters to your door; Toast Ale who brew beer using unsold bread loaves and unused crusts; Elisha Madzivadondo, cofounder of The Sunshine Co, and Jeremey Barty, founder of Breadrev – an organisation built to uplift communities through artisan bread.
Date: 1 – 2 September | Time: Saturday 17:00 – 23:00 & Sunday 11:00 – 17:00 | Venue: Cruise Terminal | Tickets: http://streetfoodfestival.co.za/tickets/
Cape Town Band Festival
The Cape Town Band Festival is a celebration of local talent expressed through the best and brightest bands that Cape Town has to offer. Come and enjoy 2 days of local bands that are making waves in South Africa and abroad, and who are sharing their hearts and their talents with the world. From the soothing harmonies of Orah and the Kites to the beautiful lyricism of Frances Clare, to the all out rocking energy of The Medicine Dolls, come and share in the versatility, the passion, and the excitement of Cape Town’s live music industry.
Dates: 8 – 9 September | Time: 12:00 – 19:00 | Venue: V&A Waterfront Amphitheatre | Cost: Free
Heritage Day: African Festival
Alter Concepts, an NPC based in Cape Town is celebrating this year’s heritage day with the general public, by hosting an African Festival at the V&A Waterfront Amphitheatre. A day filled with entertainment from dancers, singers, rappers, poets, life coaching speeches, and a brass band, integrating other talents and cultures across Africa, showcasing our diversity in arts, music, and cultures.
Date: 24 September 2018 | Time: 12h30 – 14h00 | Venue: Amphitheatre | Tickets: Free
Zeitz MOCAA: One-year birthday celebration
Details TBC
Museum Night
Explore the museums of the V&A Waterfront in a new light, after dark.
Museums will be open from 5 pm until 10 pm, offering free admission to the public, with a number of other attractions offering half-price admission. The museum exhibitions are supported by an exciting programme of performances and walkabouts.
Date: 27 September 2018 | Time: 17h00 – 22h00 | Venue: Throughout the Property | Tickets: Free
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One Destination, 6 Unbelievable 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.