POSTCARDS FROM FESTIVE CAPE TOWN 2024
Got the Fuzzy Festive Feels?
Try Cape Town’s Heady Summer Cocktail of Blissful Days, Golden Beaches and All-Round Unbeatable Magic.
Image Credit Secret Sunrise
Ever wondered how Southern Hemisphere peeps celebrate the Festive Period?
As, let’s face it, cosy-ing up to the fireplace wrapped in a fleecy blanket in a scorching 35 degrees Celcius would be fairly unpleasant. A cooked meal of stuffed turkey, potatoes and Brussel sprouts for your Christmas dinner? Sporting a reindeer jumper? Decorating the tree with tinsel and snow crystals? Nah, that’s not how we do it Down South.
So – how do we cope without snow, mistletoe and glühwein to make Christmas feel like Christmas??
You’re invited to dip your feet into the Atlantic Ocean and join us for a little taster of what goes down this time of year in Cape Town.
Image Credit Cape Town Magazine
One of the many music events laid on over the festive period.
1. IT’S BEGINNING TO FEEL A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS….
The switching on of the Christmas lights accompanied by a music festival in the centre of Cape Town at the start of December pretty much heralds in the official start of the festive season. Tens of thousands of jubiland revellers attend historic celebration each year decked out in sparklying head gear and a very festive spirit indeed!
Image Credit Cape Town Etc.
Image Cape Town Magazine
Huge crowds attend the city centre music and lights events.
Image Credit Flikr.com
Kirstenbosch Gardens presents the annual Carols By Candlelight
Image Credit City Seeing
A festival of lights
Image Credit Smile FM
Huge crowds attend the switching on of the Christmas lights.
Image Credit Cape Town Etc
The City Hall becomes a kaleidoscope of light.
Image Credit Cape Town etc
A music festival takes place on the night of the switching on of the Christmas lights
2. JOY TO THE WORLD, FROM THE CITY OF HOPE
The world-famous V&A Waterfront has, over the past 6 years, created a unique set of festive installations entitled ‘Joy to the World’. Over 190 small businesses (over 1000 craftspeople!) are commissioned to collaborate on creating decorations that are hand-crafted and befitting of the Southern Hemisphere, using everyday materials. The 2024/5 offering is yet another feast for the eyes, with hundreds of monumental installations and decorations. Colourful, joyous and vibrant!
Image Credit Cécile Paul
At the V&A Waterfront
Image Credit Cécile Paul
Image Credit Cécile Paul
Image Credit Cécile Pau
Image Credit Cécile Paul
Image Credit Cécile Paul
Image Credit Cécile Paul
Monumental beaded houses in stead of Christmas baubles decorate malls.
Image Credit Expat Cape Town
Christmas baubles, Africa-style.
3. SUMMER IS BLOOMING MARVELLOUS!
The many flower markets are filled with spectacular indigenous flowers – proteas, banksias, lilies, roses and the various famous ‘fynbos’ flowers that grow on the slopes of Table Mountain.
Image Credit Cécile Paul
Image Credit Cécile Paul
Spectacular banksias
Image Credit Sisters on Adderley Flower Sellers
Two sisters who have sold their flowers over generations at this historic flower market on Adderley St.
Image Credit Cécile Paul
The magnificent King Protea
4. CAPETONIANS RELAX – AND PARTY – IN STYLE.
When it’s summertime in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s also a natural ending to the academic and working year, which means, for most people, a jolly long and well-deserved break under the African sun. Yay!
Cape Town Etc.
Sunsets are part of the fabulous summer cocktail.
But how do Capetonians enjoy their December and January (yes, we told you it was a long summer holiday)? Unlike the Northern Hemisphere where days are short, temperatures low and the hope is for a snow-filled Christmas time, those in Cape Town have a somewhat different set of circumstances, shall we say (wink, wink) to navigate!
Image Credit Cécile Paul
The view from the V&A Waterfront with its numerous fish restaurants
Image Credit Come to Cape Town
One of the beaches at Clifton
Image Credit Cape Town Etc.
The famous feathered inhabitants of Boulders Beach
Image Credit Cape Town Etc.
A False Bay Beach
5. IT’S A TIME FOR LETTING ONE’S HAIR DOWN – BUT STYLISHLY.
This is a time for never-ending days on golden beaches, sipping cocktails and watching the daily display of magnificent sunsets. It’s a time for bikinis, flip-flops, large straw hats, glamorous kimonos and strappy dresses – whether at a quaint beach bar or stylish city restaurant.
Image Credit Crystal Birch on Instagram
Image Credit Cult Crush
Image Credit Gabrielle Swimwear
6. FOOD AND DRINKS ARE KEY TO THE HOLY GRAIL OF FESTIVE DELIGHTS.
It’s a time for families and friends to congregate and celebrate the many festive days with food and drinks. Outdoor cooking – especially long barbeques with local wine and beer flowing – is what most folk do for their festive meals.
Image Credit Crush Magazine Online
Image Credit Boy Eats World
The famous South African ‘braaibroodjies’ (toasted cheese, tomato and chutney sandwiches cooked on a barbeque)
Image Credit Come to Cape Town
Sizzling snacks!
7. IT’S MARKET & FESTIVAL SEASON ON STEROIDS!
It’s also a time for innumerable summer markets, music, food & wine festivals and concerts. For those who opt to stay put in the city, the choice of Christmas markets is staggering, with most neighbourhoods hosting their own markets in addition to the year-round ones in the city. The social calendar is jam-packed.
Image Credit Inside Guide
Cape Point Vineyards Market – where one can enjoy a picnic packed for you by the estate, together with their spectacular wines, while listening to live music and overlooking the beach at Noordhoek.
Image Credit Cécile Paul
Oranjezicht Farm Market: food and flowers galore!
Image Credit Cécile Paul
Fresh organic vegetables
Image Credit Cécile Paul
Food from all over the world at Bay Harbour Market
Image Credit Cécile Paul
Oranjezicht Farm Market
Neighbourgoods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill
A nod to European pastries
Image Credit Cape Town Magazine
Local wares at Bay Harbour Market
Image Credit Cécile Paul
Baskets from all over Africa
8. THERE’S MUSIC EVERYWHERE
Music concerts – many of them free – happen throughout summer across the city for all to enjoy. All this to the backdrop of spectacular (predominantly locally made) festive decorations that adorn shopping centers, city streets, trees, flower pots and sidewalks alike. Add to that the incredible natural beauty of the city of Cape Town, and the stage is set for spectacular celebrations.
Image Credit Cape Tourism
Image Credit Psymedia
Alcazar Music Festival NYE in Cape Town’s city centre
World-renowned Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens is a gardener’s and bird-watcher’s delight, all year round, but especially in the long and balmy summer. During the summer the garden is also host to the best local and international music talent: picnics get packed, blankets rolled out and music enjoyed to the backdrop of the spectacular gardens flanked by Table Mountain.
Image Credit Kirstenbosch Summer Concerts
9. SOME OPT TO ESCAPE THE NOISE…
Many families book a holiday home or campsite in the mountains, riverside or at a beach resort to escape the hustle and bustle of the busy, tourist-filled city over summer. A road trip down one of the many epic routes is a summer holiday MUST!
Image Credit Leoni Smit
Image Credit Cécile Paul
Wine enjoyed in the veld – what can be better?
10. CELEBRATING THE GREAT OUTDOORS
For those who love the great outdoors the sky is quite literally the limit – surfing, wind surfing, hang-gliding, paragliding, sailing, waterskiing, mountain-climbing, hill-walking, canoeing, horse riding, cycling, golf, etc., to mention but a few, are on offer. There are also promenade walks and slow strolls through the many city and dog parks, should one opt for going down just one gear.
Image Credit Alamy (Guardian)
Oudekraal beach is great for canoeing.
Image Credit Cécile Paul
The road awaits!
Image Credit Cécile Paul
Road trips are the best summer escapes!
11. BEACHES ARE WHAT CAPE TOWN IS SYNONYMOUS WITH.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to beaches. The city hosts its own set of super stylish beaches – Camps Bay, Clifton, Sea Point and Llundudno, but half and hour’s away there are the magnificent beaches of the West Coast as well as the warmer waters of False Bay’s stunning beaches. Tidal pools are also a very popular option for cooling down.
Image Credit AFRIKA
One of the West Coast beaches with the perfect view of Table Mountain.
Image Credit Come to Cape Town
Cooling down in one of the innumerable tidal pools.
12. CAPE TOWN IS WINE COUNTRY.
The hundreds of wine estates – anything from 15 minutes to an hour’s drive from Cape Town’s city centre, with their spectacular produce, award-winning restaurants and manicured gardens, are always a temptation – and the choice between the beach and venturing inland to lie on a luscious lawn overlooking vineyards is a tough one!
Image Credit Babylonstoren Wine Estate
The spectacular gardens at Babylonstoren
Image Credit Babylonstoren Wine Estate
The famous wine tram that chugs between Franschhoek wine estate
Image Credit Expat Cape Town
Joy to the WORLD,
From the CITY OF HOPE!
Image Credit Cécile Paul
