Heritage Day Events — What will you be doing?

Thursday 24 September is a pub­lic hol­i­day in South Africa (Heritage day) which means that you should have the day off — What are you going to do with your time? If you are lucky enough to have Friday off as well have a look at some of these ideas on how you can make the most of your long weekend ...

Paarl Cultivaria

In Cape Town & the Western Cape:
For a bit of laughter why not book a ticket to the Nando’s Cape Town Comedy Festival that has been mak­ing the people of Cape Town laugh since 13 September and will con­tinue to do so until 4 October 2009. Held at vari­ous loc­a­tions around Cape Town, some of the world’s hot­test com­edy acts will have you howl­ing with laughter from the Main Arena at the Baxter Theatre in Rondebosch to the not for the faint hearted Danger Zone. Tickets are avail­able at Computicket.

The Paarl Cultivaria Festival runs from Wednesday 23 to Sunday 27 September 2009 and you can be assured that your mind, body and soul will be fed. Theatre, dance, com­edy and clas­sics will be on show and as well as wine tast­ings and daily cook­ing demon­stra­tions. For more inform­a­tion about the event con­tact the Cultivaria Festival office on +27 (0)21 872‑9754.

More events at: Cape Town Events

Knysna Gastronomica

In the Garden Route:
Knysna on the Garden Route hosts Gastronomica from Thursday 24 to Monday 28 September 2009 and is a feast for the whole fam­ily. You can expect loads of food to fill your bel­lies, dance demon­stra­tions to allow your eyes to sparkle, music to soothe your ears and cook­ing demon­stra­tions and talks from the experts to give you inspir­a­tion. Children have not been for­got­ten as there will be plenty of activ­it­ies to keep them enter­tained and occu­pied. You can con­tact Carla or Pat for more inform­a­tion on +27 (0)44 302‑5749.

More events at: Garden Route Events

In the Eastern Cape:
The Northern Arts Festival in Port Elizabeth will be a har­mony of cul­ture, tra­di­tions and her­it­age as thou­sands of spec­tat­ors are set to attend this fest­ival. Expect to a  world class pro­gramme of music and dance per­form­ances. The NAF Sky’s the Limit Talent Search that has been tak­ing place for the last few months will be show­cas­ing some of the most ener­getic dan­cers, sing­ers, rap­pers and tal­ent that is sure to impress the audi­ence. Make sure you don’t miss out because you may be see­ing one of South Africa’s new emer­ging stars! For more inform­a­tion con­tact Billy Paulson on +27 (0)82 443‑2207

More events at: Eastern Cape Events

Kalahari Kuierfees

In the Northern Cape:
Upington hosts the Kalahari Kuierfees from Thursday 24 to Saturday 26 September 2009 and has cul­tural activ­it­ies as well as sports on offer. On Saturday you can take part in the half mara­thon or cycle race as well as a num­ber of other sport­ing activ­it­ies. If you would prefer to relax a bit you are able to do so in the “kuier­tent” which houses the food and beers stalls as well as a num­ber of enter­tain­ment acts.  The fest­ival cul­min­ates in a fab­ulous fire­works dis­play. For more inform­a­tion and pro­gramme details con­tact the fest­ival office on +27 (0)54 332‑1100.

More events at: Northern Cape Events

In Durban & KwaZulu Natal:
An annual pro­vin­cial music busi­ness expo takes place from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 September 2009 in Durban Central. The KwaZulu Natal Music Imbizo will host a num­ber of the key industry play­ers in the music industry under one roof an over the 3 days will find ways of improv­ing the KwaZulu Natal music industry. Anyone who is involved in music is encour­aged to present, exhibit or take part. You might even meet one of your favour­ite local stars. For more inform­a­tion con­tact Creative Lead on +27 (0)31 201‑6343.

White Mountain Festival

The Body Show in Durban show­case the best in health, body and beauty with exhib­i­tions from an array of ther­apies and products which include Aromatherapy, Reiki, beauty ther­ap­ists, make-up and more. Come and take some time out for your­self from Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 September 2009. For more inform­a­tion tele­phone +27 (0)78 339‑8300 or +27 (0)31 572‑3831.

If four days of laid-back acous­tic music is exactly what you need, then head down to Giants Castle in Central Drakensburg for the White Mountain Folk Festival from 24–27 September 2009. Some of the country’s most estab­lished as well as up and com­ing musi­cians will per­form for you in an acous­tic set­ting. Activities such as boat­ing, fish­ing, hik­ing and fam­ily activ­it­ies as well as food and beer stalls will be avail­able and those who are a bit more adven­tur­ous can take a heli­copter flip or abseil down a 45m cliff face. Tickets are avail­able from Computicket or at the fest­ival gate and include your camp­ing cost as well fest­ival entry. Contact the organ­iser on +27 (0)31 563‑0824 for more information.

More events at: KwaZulu Natal Events

Summer Festival

In Johannesburg & Gauteng:
Summer is just around the corner and Gauteng is cel­eb­rat­ing this at the Summer Festival on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September 2009. Some of South Africa’s best known artists, over 200 exhib­i­tion stands, food stalls and a Beer Fest will keep you enter­tained. Tickets are only R60 for adults and chil­dren under 12 are free of charge. Moms, dads and grand­par­ents can enjoy the sounds of Steve Hofmeyer while the younger gen­er­a­tions jump about to the sounds of Watershed. Contact +27 (0)86 038‑3689 for more fest­ival details.

More events at: Gauteng Events

There are so many things hap­pen­ing it will be hard to decide how you will spend your time, but whatever you do ensure you keep Heritage Day in your mind and use this week­end to cel­eb­rate what makes South Africa a unique and won­der­ful Country.

Useful Links:
South Africa Events
Things to Do in South Africa
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