Cape Town Summer Events: December to March Calendar

Cape Town's summer calendar runs from late November to March: Sunday sunset concerts at Kirstenbosch, the HSBC SVNS rugby sevens in early December, New Year at the V&A Waterfront, the minstrel carnival in early January, a Newlands Test and SA20 cricket, the Cape Town Met, then the Cycle Tour and the Cape Town Carnival in March. Some 2026 and 2027 dates are confirmed below. Others follow a usual pattern, so check the official site before you book.

Late November and December

• Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts usually open in late November and run on Sunday evenings until about March, with gates at 16:00 and music from about 17:15 in recent seasons.
• At Kirstenbosch you bring a picnic, blankets and low chairs; no alcohol is sold, but you may bring your own, and the big names sell out soon after the line-up is announced.
• The Franschhoek Cap Classique and Champagne Festival is held at the Huguenot Monument grounds, usually on the last weekend of November or the first of December; Wesgro lists 5 and 6 December 2026, and entry is strictly 18 and over.
• World Rugby has confirmed HSBC SVNS Cape Town for 5 and 6 December 2026 at Cape Town Stadium in Green Point, the second stop of the 2026/27 series after Dubai.
• Carols at Kirstenbosch usually runs over several evenings in the week or so before Christmas.
• On 31 December the V&A Waterfront has hosted a free open-air celebration with a short midnight fireworks display in recent years, and Kirstenbosch has held a New Year's Eve concert.

January

• The Cape Town Minstrel Carnival, or Kaapse Klopse, is traditionally tied to Tweede Nuwe Jaar on 2 January, with troupes in bright satin parading from District Six through the city centre.
• In recent years the main minstrel parade has moved off 2 January (it ran on Monday 5 January in 2026), so check City of Cape Town announcements for the 2027 date and route.
• South Africa play England in the third Test at Newlands from 3 to 7 January 2027, according to the ICC fixture list.
• The L'Ormarins King's Plate is run on Saturday 9 January 2027 at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Racecourse.
• The one-day series between South Africa and England opens at Boland Park in Paarl on 10 January 2027.
• The SA20 season runs from 17 January to 21 February 2027. MI Cape Town play in Cape Town on 20 and 22 January and on 2, 4 and 14 February, and the season's last match is in Cape Town on 21 February.
• The Cape Town Met, currently sponsored by World Sports Betting and once known as the J&B Met, is a fashion-led race day at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, usually on the last Saturday of January; the 2027 date had not been published at the time of writing.

February and March

• The Kirstenbosch concerts continue through February and March; the 2025/26 season ran until late March.
• Stellenbosch Wine Routes runs Street Soirees, early-evening tastings on oak-lined Drostdy Street, roughly every second week in summer (January to March in 2026).
• An SA20 match is also scheduled in Paarl on 16 February 2027, with the teams still to be confirmed.
• The Investec Cape Town Art Fair is at the CTICC from 19 to 21 February 2027.
• The Cape Town Cycle Tour is confirmed for 14 March 2027: a 109 km ride around the Peninsula whose route usually includes Chapman's Peak, with full road closures along the route on race day.
• The Cape Town Carnival organisers have announced 20 March 2027; the free evening parade has been held on the Green Point Fan Walk in recent years.
• In 2027 the Cape Town International Jazz Festival takes a new format, running across the whole of March at venues in Cape Town and beyond, rather than over a few packed days.
• Just after the season, the Two Oceans Marathon race week runs from 31 March to 4 April 2027.

Planning around the big days

• Book accommodation and dinner tables early for the SVNS weekend and the Newlands Test, when Green Point, the Waterfront and the southern suburbs fill up.
• On Cycle Tour day much of the Peninsula is closed to cars, so plan a City Bowl, Waterfront or Winelands day instead, or watch from Camps Bay or Muizenberg.
• The minstrel parade and the Cape Town Carnival bring road closures in the city centre and Green Point, so leave extra time or go on foot from nearby.
• Be dropped off and collected rather than parking: stadium and concert traffic is slow to clear, and ride-hailing prices surge after the final whistle.
• Dates and line-ups change, so confirm on the official sites (SANBI for Kirstenbosch, World Rugby, SA20, the Cycle Tour and the Carnival) before you commit.

Having it arranged

• Cohen Concierge arranges private chauffeurs, airport transfers, restaurant reservations and Cape Winelands days, available 24/7.
• Send one message by WhatsApp, phone or the website with the event and your dates; they usually reply within minutes.
• Every arrangement is quoted first with the full cost and any fee shown, and nothing is booked until you approve it.