Our selection of annual December events you don’t wanna miss

December kicks off with World AIDS Day, observed on December 1 each year. Put on your Red Ribbon and show solidarity with HIV-positive people and those living with AIDS. Let’s make this country a better place and be an example.

Observatory's Lower Main Road, lined with quirky restaurants and easy going bars, is the place to be for live music, crafts, food and drink in this 'holistic' Observatory Festival of Arts (formerly Observatory Street or Obz Festival). It’s a platform for intercultural dialogue and is representative of one of the largest residential arts communities in South Africa – our ever chilled and hippy Observatory.

Mother City Queer Projects (MCQP) party - this has become one of Cape Town's biggest and best annual gay minded parties of the year and a flamboyant start to the summer. Gays, lesbians and friends ,dressed in elaborate, sexy, dazzling costumes ,party the night away in a fun-filled fantasyland. Leave all inhibitions at home and come to South Africa’s “gay capital“.

Dress up, run and have fun at the Community Chest Twilight Fun Run. 20 000 participants [!] crawl, walk or run in teams of six, some dressed in the wackiest costumes, through the streets of the Mother City, followed by a party that rocks the city. And it's all for a good cause.

Nestling in a towering Eucalyptus forest, the Paul Cluver Forest Amphitheatre provides a unique, natural venue for unforgettable evenings under the stars. The Paul Cluver Summer Festival is a combination of pre-performance meals, complimented by Paul Cluver Wines, nature, culture and good entertainment. (Only a 55 minute drive from Cape Town, off the N2 near Grabouw)

Welcome to Sexpo Cape Town! Sexpo? If sex sells then this is where to buy it. It’s one of the world’s largest health, sexuality and lifestyle expo and definately not an ordinary expo. Go shopping (from sexy lingerie and sensual toys to wine tasting and more), enjoy nonstop sizzling entertainment and learn to pole dance while you’re there.

And now 'It’s beginning to look a lot like... CHRISTMAS'.  Adderley Street is lit every Christmas with street lights and it is also the site of the popular Adderley Street Night Market before and during Christmas, with an array of stalls and some great entertainment. 

And, of course, don’t forget the South African public holidays in December: on December 16 is the Day of Reconciliation, on December 25 Christmas Day and on December 26 Day of Goodwill. Find more South African public holidays.

Obviously there are many more smaller events, charity evenings, concerts and other happenings that take place every year in Cape Town, its surrounding cities and villages in the Western Cape. For the latest update check our events calendar closer to the time and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Closer to the time, we always provide you with a selection of restaurants hosting Christmas dinners as well as Christmas lunches in and around Cape Town. Our newsletter & Facebook offers updates in the weeks before Christmas.

New Year’s Eve in Cape Town must surely be the place to celebrate New Year in South Africa. Where to celebrate NYE in Cape Town?  Select one of the many upmarket NYE dinners in restaurants or use our overview of  2011/2012 NYE parties in Cape Town.

*PLEASE NOTE* All dates are subject to change

Also, read the calendar of events and festivals taking place every year in January that we prepared for you, or discover the overview of the most important and well known annual events in Cape Town.
Enjoy it!