What's on in Cape Town, South Africa through the year

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, South African summer holidays

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Mountain fire season (1 Nov – 15 May (usually)), The south-easter (15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually)), Kirstenbosch sunset concerts (20 Nov – 31 Mar (usually)), South African summer holidays (15 Dec – 15 Jan (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Cape wine harvest

  1 Feb – 10 Apr · usually

  The valleys inland pick through February and March into early April, and the estates run harvest festivals and grape stomping alongside it. Local consensus puts March as the best month of the year here.

Still on: Mountain fire season (1 Nov – 15 May (usually)), The south-easter (15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually)), Kirstenbosch sunset concerts (20 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Cape Town Cycle Tour

• Festival

  Cape Town Cycle Tour

  8 MarMajor festivalCrowdedClosures

  Around 35,000 riders take the peninsula loop on a Sunday in early March, and most of the coastal road system closes for the morning. Plan nothing that needs a car that day. Source ↗

Still on: Cape wine harvest (1 Feb – 10 Apr (usually)), Mountain fire season (1 Nov – 15 May (usually)), Kirstenbosch sunset concerts (20 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Term 1–2 (autumn) break in South Africa

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Cape wine harvest (1 Feb – 10 Apr (usually)), Mountain fire season (1 Nov – 15 May (usually))

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Mountain fire season (1 Nov – 15 May (usually))

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Term 2–3 (winter) break in South Africa

• Nature

  Southern right whales

  1 Jun – 30 Nov · usuallyWhale season

  The whales come inshore along False Bay and Walker Bay to calve, roughly June to November, and September and October are when you can watch them from a cliff path without a boat. Source ↗

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, Term 2–3 (winter) break in South Africa

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Southern right whales (1 Jun – 30 Nov (usually))

Quiet — the editor's quiet month, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  West Coast flower season

  1 Aug – 20 Sep · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  Namaqualand and the West Coast reserves flower after the winter rain, peaking between mid-August and mid-September. The daisies only open in sun and close by mid-afternoon, so it is a late-morning drive. Source ↗

Still on: Southern right whales (1 Jun – 30 Nov (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Term 3–4 (spring) break in South Africa

• Festival

  Hermanus Whale Festival

  2–4 OctWhale seasonCrowded

  Three days on Walker Bay, two hours east, built around whales that are close enough to watch from the cliff path. The town is full and the road out of Cape Town on the Friday is slow. Source ↗

Still on: Southern right whales (1 Jun – 30 Nov (usually)), West Coast flower season (1 Aug – 20 Sep (usually))

Busy — between the peaks, Hermanus Whale Festival

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Southern right whales (1 Jun – 30 Nov (usually)), Hermanus Whale Festival (2–4 Oct)

Shoulder season — between the peaks, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Mountain fire season

  1 Nov – 15 May · usuallySmoke seasonClosures

  The fynbos burns most summers, and a bad day closes hiking paths, the cableway and sometimes a suburb's roads. The park keeps crews on standby from November to May; smoke can sit over the city bowl for a day after the flames are out. Source ↗

• Hazard

  The south-easter

  15 Nov – 28 Feb · usuallyWind seasonClosures

  The summer wind that runs the city, laying a cloth of cloud over Table Mountain and shutting the cableway for days at a time. It is at its hardest from November to February and decides your mountain day far more than the forecast does. Source ↗

• Festival

  Kirstenbosch sunset concerts

  20 Nov – 31 Mar · usuallyMajor festivalBook early

  Sunday evening concerts on the lawns below the mountain at the botanical garden, running from late November to the end of March. Picnic blankets go down hours early and the big names sell out. Source ↗

Still on: Southern right whales (1 Jun – 30 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — the editor's peak month, South African summer holidays

• Holiday

  South African summer holidays

  15 Dec – 15 Jan · usuallySchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  From mid-December the rest of the country arrives and the city runs at capacity: beaches full, restaurants booked, and the coast road round Chapman's Peak at a crawl. Source ↗

Still on: Mountain fire season (1 Nov – 15 May (usually)), The south-easter (15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually)), Kirstenbosch sunset concerts (20 Nov – 31 Mar (usually))