South Africa Events and Festivals

Origin Festival
This festival was first held in 2002 and is a gathering of trance music travellers. If you attend, you are sure to see many kites, tie-dyed clothes, long hair and peace signs. It is a mirror image of the hippie festivals of the 1960s and ‘70s.

The FNB Dance Umbrella
This is a festival of contemporary choreography and dance. Every year, the FNB festival selects a number of choreographers who produce work to show the public. The festival was originally designed to introduce South African chorographers into international dance. It has been incredibly successful.

The Prickly Pear Festival
The Prickly Pear Festival is held in late February every year in the Eastern Cape. It's a day to enjoy traditional food such as ginger beer, pancakes, potjiekos and homemade jam and pudding, and is a celebration of all things traditional.

Cape Town Jazz Festival
This international jazz festival takes centre stage every year in March. It's a two-day event and features over 40 international and African acts performing on five stages. Crowd numbers regularly reach over 15,000. As well as jazz, there are also photographic, musical and historical exhibitions.

Lambert's Bay Kreeffees
Kreef is Afrikaans for crayfish, and a ‘fees’ means either a festival or a feast. At the Kreeffees, in the West Coast town of Lambert's Bay, you'll have the opportunity to feast on fresh crayfish and enjoy the many rock concerts by some of South Africa's favourite musicians. There's also bungee jumping on offer, impressive aerial displays, a half-marathon and beer tents.

Oppikoppi Easter Festival
The Oppikoppi Easter Festival is the highlight of the year for many music lovers. The show has one stage only and attracts a traditional blues and folk audience.

Klein Karoo Nationale Kunstefees
The Klein Karoo Nationale Kunstefees in Oudtshoorn features well-known and new artists who show promise in both dance and theatre. It began as an Afrikaans alternative to the National Arts Festival, but now features over 200 different shows on three different stages, with a mixture of international artists.

Splashy Fen
The Splashy Fen music festival has attracted thousands of people to a farm in Underberg since 1989. The focus of the festival centres on folk and blues as well as mainstream rock and pop. The site includes market stalls, three stages and security. There are excellent bed and breakfasts for those who prefer to stay clean

South African National Belly Dance Festival
This annual festival in Cape Town offers dance workshops, performances and sales of belly dancing accessories. It aims to promote a better image of belly dancing across South Africa.

Prince Albert Olive, Food and Wine Festival
This two-day festival is held in the Swartberg region of the Western Cape. It offers much more than just the region's famous olives and wine. Visitors will find an art exhibition, beer tents, live music, historic tours, a midnight ghost walk, a bicycle race, an olive pip-spitting competition, stalls and cabaret.

Pink Loerie Mardi Gras
The Knysna Loerie is a national green bird, but this is not to be confused with the Pink Loerie Mardi Gras. The latter is a gay festival held in the beautiful coastal town of Knysna and offers four days of non-stop partying.

National Arts Festival
The Grahamstown National Arts Festival is South Africa's oldest, biggest and best-known arts festival. It is a 10-day event offering visitors an abundance of theatre, music and dance performances as well as film previews. It is renowned as being Africa's largest and most colourful cultural event of the year. If there is one festival you should try to attend, it is this one.

Knysna Oyster Festival
The coastal town of Knysna is not just famous for its birds, but also for its oysters. The increasingly popular July festival celebrates the oyster. This is a must for oyster lovers, who will find oyster tasting opportunities all around as well as oyster-eating competitions and live entertainment. There are also a lot of sporting events including cycling, running and canoeing.

Ellisras Bushveld Festival
This festival was first held in 1986 and includes dog and cattle shows, a game auction, horse jumping, agricultural activities, a game farm exposition and bird and tree competitions. Culinary delights on offer include boerewors and other traditional foods.

Joy of Jazz
This is Johannesburg's biggest annual jazz festival. It features a range of musical styles, but has a strong emphasis on jazz. Over 200 local and international artists perform at different venues across the city, particularly in Newtown.

Arts Alive Festival
This festival is held in Johannesburg and is an excellent place to hear some wonderful local music. Visitors will find numerous workshops which display the rich cultures of the country to both South Africans and international visitors.

The Hermanus Whale Festival
This is the ultimate environmental experience. It is held during peak whale watching season in September and offers a vast array of entertainment as well as the best land-based whale watching in the world.

Woodstock
This festival was first held in 1999 and is the largest youth music festival in South Africa. The festival offers a market and alternative lifestyle products as well as music over a four-day period. It is held near Hartbeespoort Dam in the northwest of the country.

Bosman Weekend
Herman Charles Bosman was one of South Africa's greatest writers. This festival celebrates his life, with some of South Africa's top actors reading and performing his works. Good food is guaranteed, as is good company.

Bosman Weekend
Herman Charles Bosman was one of South Africa's greatest writers. This festival celebrates his life, with some of South Africa's top actors reading and performing his works. Good food is guaranteed, as is good company.

Spier Summer Festival
This annual festival is held in the lush wine lands of the Western Cape. The amphitheatre on the Spier Estate plays host. The festival lasts for four months and offers performances of music, opera, dance, stand-up comedy and theatre.

New Year's Day: 1 January
Human Rights Day: 21 March
Family Day: 31 March
Constitution (Freedom) Day: 27 April
Worker's Day: 1 May
Youth Day: 16 June
National Women's Day: 9 August
Heritage Day: 24 September
Day of Reconciliation: 16 December
Christmas Day: 25 December
Day of Goodwill: 26 December
Good Friday: date varies each year