EXPERIENCE EVENTS IN CAPE TOWN THIS OCTOBER
The Mother City’s October events line-up is loaded with festivals, sports and a global music celebration.
Events in Cape Town this month will bring high-octane sports action, creative energy, and encourage focus on mental well-being.
WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance), one of the longest-running and most respected cultural festivals, returns to Cape Town this October.
The festival will spotlight music from all over the globe with a series of live performances, including a two-day concert celebrating the legacy of the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu at St George’s Cathedral.
Three-time Grammy-nominated American flautist and saxophonist Hubert Laws, the UCT Symphony Orchestra, Jazz singer and pianist Amanda Tiffin and Jazz musician Alexander Ramon will play the first night of the Desmond Tutu United 4 Humanity concert on Thursday, 3 October 2024.
A stellar line-up, including Ladysmith Black Mambazo, PJ Powers, Zolani Mahola, Arno Carstens, Hilton Schilder & Shaheema Lakay, St George’s Cathedral Choir and more will close out the concert on Friday, 4 October.
The concert is a fundraiser for the Tutu Foundation’s education programmes.
Tickets for the concert are available at Quicket.
In addition to the concert, WOMAD will host free live performances at the V&A Waterfront’s Amphitheatre on Saturday and Sunday from 14:00 to 18:00.
There will be live performances by Joep Pelt & Soweto Soul (Netherlands/SA), Takura Terry (Zimbabwe), Simba Morri (Kenya) and Nomadic Orchestra on Saturday.
Sunday will see Livia & Fred (Brazil), Iskwew Singers (Canada), Igqange Kgati Club, Caribbean Bele’ (Jamaican/SA) and Congo Cowboys (Congo/SA) take to the stage.
SA NAVY FESTIVAL
From 4 – 6 October, the SA National Defence Force is hosting the SA Navy Festival at Simon’s Town’s East Dockyard.
The festival will showcase the SA Navy’s precision drills, allow the public to explore Navy ships, watch performances by the Navy Band, and a Navy Gun Run and will also have exhibitions, a dry-dock concert and food stalls.
A free MyCiTi bus service to ferry festivalgoers to Simon’s Town from Fish Hoek’s Beach Parking and Sports Ground Parking. Buses depart at 09:00 and the last returning bus is at 18:30.
The SA Navy Festival takes place from 10:00 to 17:00 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Entry is free.
WOMEN’S RUGBY IN THE MOTHER CITY
On 4 and 5 October, Athlone Stadium will host the second round of World Rugby’s WXV 2 tournament.
Wales will play Italy on Friday at 16:00, while on Saturday, Scotland will battle it out with Japan at 14:00.
The Springbok Women will close out round two of the women’s rugby competition against Australia at 17:00 on Saturday 5 October.
Athlone will also host the tournament’s third round on 11 and 12 October.
The Women Boks will conclude their WXV 2 campaign against Italy at 14:00 on 12 October. WXV 2 log-leaders Australia Women will play the final game of the competition against second-place Scotland at 17:00.
Tickets for the games are available on Ticketmaster.
LOERIES CREATIVE WEEK
Two of Cape Town’s iconic landmarks, City Hall and the Homecoming Centre will transform into creative hubs for Loeries Creative Week
The 46th Loeries Creative Week, the premier creative experience across Africa and the Middle East takes place over five days from 7 – 11 October.
City Hall will be the judging hub for the Loeries Awards for three days between 7 and 9 October.
The Grand Old Dame will also play host to two nights of Loeries Awards on Thursday, 10 October and Friday, 11 October.
The Homecoming Centre will host several events from 9 October – 11 October, including a public expo, a Loeries Student Expo, creative masterclasses and an international seminar on creativity.
WORLD MASTERS HOCKEY WORLD CUP
Over 2 200 masters hockey players from 27 countries will showcase they still have it at the prestigious World Masters Hockey World Cup from 12 – 21 October.
The biennial tournament will feature women’s teams in the over 35 and over 40 categories. In the men’s section, teams will compete in the over 35, over 40, over 65, over 70, over 75, and over 80 categories.
While the players may be older than current national teams, they remain high-performance athletes, bringing skill and intensity to every match.
Hartleyvale Hockey Stadium in Observatory, Western Province Cricket Club in Rondebosch and Wynberg Boys & Girls High Schools will play host to the tournament during its 10-day run.
Entry to all the games is free.
STORMERS HOMECOMING
The DHL Stormers return to Cape Town for their first home game of the new Vodacom United Rugby Championship after a three-game tour of Europe.
In the home opener, the Stormers host Irish side Munster at DHL Stadium on Saturday 19 October.
This repeat of the 2023 URC Final promises a thrilling showdown between two formidable teams.
Gates for the match open at 16:00 with kick-off at 18:00.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster
A MAJOR ROAD RACE
A record-breaking field of 21,000 will take on the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon on Sunday 20 October.
In pursuit of the prestigious Abbott World Marathon Majors (AWMM) status, the marathon has attracted the strongest elite field ever to compete on African soil.
This field boasts an astounding list of accolades, including:
2 Gold World Champion Medals
1 Silver World Champion Medal
Olympic Bronze Marathon Medal
1 All African Games Gold Medal
13 Abbott World Marathon Majors Medals, 5 of which are gold
1 World Record Holder
10 World Athletics Gold Label Elites
Setting off from the DHL Stadium, the race will take the athletes on a 42.2 km route to Newlands via Nelson Mandela Boulevard passing through Woodstock, Salt River and Mowbray before heading back to the city centre and Sea Point.
Capetonians and visitors are encouraged to hit their nearest point along the route and cheer on the athletes.
The route map is accessible here
BACK-TO-BACK CITIZENS
The Citizens will be looking for back-to-back league wins when they face Betway Premiership newcomers Magesi at Athlone Stadium on 27 October.
Eric Tinkler’s side recorded their first win of the season with a 1 – 0 win against Supersport United at Athlone Stadium last month.
A win against the side from Limpopo could take City inside the top 6 in the Betway Premiership.
The game forms part of Cape Town City’s #FreeFootballForAll initiative with the City of Cape Town, which allows free access to 10,000 fans for eight home league games at Athlone Stadium.
Free tickets for the game can be collected at Cape Town City’s offices at 54 Shortmarket Street on game week or at the Athlone Stadium ticket office on game day
FLYING HIGH FOR MENTAL HEALTH
As part of Mental Health Awareness, Cape Mental Health will host its Cape Town International Kite Festival Pop-Up Fly this month.
Held at Melkbosstrand Beach on Sunday, 27 October, the event encourages residents and visitors to fly kites of all shapes and sizes for mental health awareness.
In addition, the event offers a safe space for people to speak openly about mental health and their lived experiences of mental health.
Through the 2024 theme, “Hope On A String”, the kite festival aims to break barriers, prejudices and stigma surrounding mental health and, ultimately, offer hope and support to those who need it.
CAPE TOWN COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL
The first-ever Cape Town Country Music Festival promises to be the highlight of the year for Country Music lovers and will be the biggest Country Music Festival in Southern Africa.
The festival will feature eight international country artists and 10 local country artists over two days on 26 and 27 October at DHL Stadium.
Billed as the largest Country Music Festival in the World, outside the US, patrons can expect performances from some of the biggest names including the Zac Brown Band, Brothers Osborne, Kip Moore, Craig Morgan and many more.
Get your tickets here
