Cape to Bahia Yacht Race
Cape Town's Royal Cape Yacht Club hosts the Heineken Cape to Bahia regatta every year. Around 40 yachts and up to 120 sailors take part in the event, which is followed by prize-giving and a party.

Dusi Canoe Marathon
The Hansa Powerade Dusi is a prestigious annual canoeing event attracting thousands of entrants. Starting on the Umsiduzi River in Pietermaritzburg, the kamikaze canoeists cover an enormous distance in their quest for glory.

J&B Met Horse Race
This prestigious event takes place at the Kenilworth Race Course in Cape Town every year. A highlight on the Cape social calendar, it is as much a fashion event as a horse race and attracts a huge crowd each year.

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.

Valentine's Day
This day is taken seriously by the majority of citizens, so expect red roses to sell out, restaurants to be fully booked and romantic spots to be crowded out on February 14. Join in the fun, it's all celebrated in good spirit.

Cape Argus Pick 'n' Pay Cycle Tour
The Cape Argus Pick 'n' Pay Cycle Tour is the biggest timed cycle tour in the world, attracting 35,000 international entrants. The 109km challenge around the beautiful Cape Peninsula is great for spectators as well.

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.

Klein Karoo Nationale Kunstefees (Arts Festival)
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 in Grahamstown, but now features over 200 different shows on three different stages, with a mixture of international artists.

Two Oceans Marathon
Billed as "the world's most beautiful marathon", the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town traverses the Peninusula from the Atlantic to the Inidan Ocean. If features an Ultra Marathon as well as a standard marathon.

Splashy Fen
The Splashy Fen music festival has attracted thousands of people to a farm in Underberg, KwaZulu Natal 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.

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.

Fifa World Cup 2010
The world’s greatest sporting event, the Soccer World Cup Finals, is held in South Africa from June 11-July 11, 2010. Hundreds of thousands of fans are expected in the country and millions more will watch the event on television. Games are being held in major centres, with the final in Johannesburg.

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.

Vodacom Durban July Handicap
Held since 1897, the Vodacom Durban July at Greyville Racecourse is the most popular social gathering among South African racing fans. With over R1.5 million at stake, the race is the premier horse racing event in South Africa and not to be missed.

ASP World Tour - Billabong Pro
South Africa's top surfing event is held at Jeffrey's Bay in the Eastern Cape. Known as J-Bay to surfing fans, it draws a world class field and is a leg of the ASP World Tour.

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.

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.

Cape Town Fashion Week
Held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, this is Africa's most prestigious fashion event for haute couture. Fashion designers from across the continent show off their garments to buyers and fashion watchers.

Pretoria Show
The Pretoria Show is the region's biggest agricultural show, going strong since 1939. Held at the Tshwane Events Centre, the event also provides family entertainment, music, exhibitions and agricultural competitions.

Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival
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.

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

Equestria
First held in 2005, Equestria is an equine extravaganza at the spectacular Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg. It features live shows, exhibitions and a huge market for anyone interested in horses.

Ficksburg Cherry Festival
Ficksburg produces around 500 tons of cherries each year, representing about 95% of the South African harvest. The Ficksburg Cherry Festival is a celebration of the town's favourite crop and gives visitors the perfect opportunity to experience the hospitality of a small town.

Nedbank Golf Challenge
A major African golfing fixture since 1981, the Nedbank Golf Challenge - tagged the Millionaire Challenge because of the prize money - takes place annually at Sun City's Gary Player Country Club. It draws the world's top golfers to the casino resort, which lies alongside a game reserve.

Mother City Queer Costume Party
Billed as the event that has put Cape Town on the international map of queer culture, this annual event at Cape Town High School brings together all the "queer tribes" of the world. You can count on a number of international celebrities to attend.

Spier Summer Festival
This annual festival is held in the lush winelands 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 Parties
All the major cities and coastal resorts celebrate the dawning of the New Year with fireworks, parties and big countdowns on December 31. Cape Town is one of the best places to be, with a street parade to herald in what will hopefully be 12 fun-filled months.

National Holidays
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