May events in Cape Town and surrounds

Your ultimate list of things to do in May

With blustery weather on the horizon and the first hints of hibernation luring locals into their caves, there’s nothing more crucial than a list of the best and the brightest events in May to make sure you don’t regret missing out on Cape Town and surrounds’ artillery of festivals, celebrations, lectures and workshops.  

May events in Cape Town and beyond

Safari Half Marathon (1 May)
Sport, sporty? Run one of the most scenic half marathons in the Western Cape. Starting in Wellington, this charity race has consistently been among the top five half marathons in South Africa. In 2012 the prestigious competition celebrates its 25th year.

Riebeek Valley Olive Festival (5 and 6 May)
This valley, about one hour’s drive from Cape Town, is simply magical, and at the festival you can experience a weekend of olive and wine tasting, music, art and a variety of cuisines; accompanied by a number of live entertainment acts. To get a feel for the rich heritage and history of the valley, visitors can wander through the South African Artists Walk, where internationally-renowned local artists will be displaying their paintings and sculptures over the weekend. 

Franschhoek Literary Festival (11 to 13 May)
Now in its sixth year, the Franschhoek Literary Festival is an attempt to foster a vibrant culture of reading and writing in South Africa. Excellent, approachable writers, famous publishers and an interested general audience gather to partake in over 80 events geared toward enhancing the nation’s literary climate. With book launches, themed classical music concerts in the during the day, the annual Wine Writer’s Prize announcement and a publishers’ bunfight there is bound to be something to tickle every literary taste bud.

Nuy Valley Wine Feast (12 May)
Roughly 1.5 hour’s drive from Cape Town, the Nuy Valley Feast, now in its fourth year, features a series of fantastic events at four different venues in and around the Worcester Wine Route area. Visitors can look forward to live music, bottomless barrels of cabernet sauvignon and sauvignon blanc, motorbike racing, televised rugby and more. Guests get transported from one venue to the next via tractor, and the rest is history.

Mother’s Day (13 May)
Sons, daughters and daddies, don’t forget Mother’s Day. Surprise one of the most important women in your life with a gift, spoil her with dinner or do something special to make her feel on top of the world. Hard-up for ideas? Have a look at our listing on things to do for Mother’s Day.

Good Food and Wine Show Cape Town (24 May and 27 May)
As South Africa’s largest, and longest running, interactive food and wine show, this CTICC-based event is known for its quality produce, innovative appliances and food theatre featuring local and international celebrity chefs (the Cake Boss is here in 2012). The event attracts thousands of visitors eager to taste a wide variety of food and wine, watch chefs in action, participate in a number of hands-on workshops and catch the very latest lifestyle trends.

TOPS Gugulethu Wine Festival (25 and 26 May)
In its second year in 2012, this ground-breaking festival in the heart of Gugulethu is anticipating hosting 50 wineries exhibiting between 250 and 300 wines in total. Aside from wine tasting, audiences can look forward to live entertainment by Heart FM’s DJs, a food court and free wine and food pairing classes sponsored by Nederburg. Not to mention, buses will be running to and from the festival to the Cape Town city centre.

Cape Town Big Band Jazz Festival (31 May to 2 June)
Founded in 1999 by the late Dennis Barr, this community outreach project looks to support music education in big band jazz, for school and college students. The proceeds from the festival go towards a scholarship in the jazz studies programme, at SA College of Music. The festival takes place at the Baxter Theatre Concert Hall.

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May starts off with a Public Holiday, as May 1 is Workers Day. Find all South African Public Holidays in our overview Public Holidays.

These are only a few of the great event happening in Cape Town and surrounds for the month of May, so be sure to check out our Cape Town Events Calendar, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest and greatest updates on everything happening in the Mother City in May.