Annual music festivals in Cape Town

Whatever your taste in music, the Mother City's got it covered

Cape Town's annual music festivals feature local and international artists, and are a platform for new talent. These events have it covered whether you’re into blues, jazz, rock, classical or dance music.

January:

Cape Town International Summer Music Festival - Since 2006 the Cape Town International Summer Music Festival has brought musicians from around the world to the Mother City

Origin Psychedelic Music Festival - Cape Town’s glorious summer outdoor party giving you a weekend of psychedelic and visual experience.

Oude Libertas Summer Season Concerts – Take a picnic baskets and bottles of wine to the Oude Libertas Amphitheatre in Stellenbosch and enjoy top entertainment under the stars. (Runs from January to March)

February:

Up the Creek Music Festival - three days featuring the best of South African music with a fantastic setting on the banks of the Breede River.

D’Aria Summer Concert Series - Get ready for a summer season filled with the best wines, delicious picnics on the lawn till sunset, as well as only the best SA musicians on stage at a breathtaking venue.

Alien Safari Masqued Ball – The Masqued Ball is a weekend of enchantment created annually as a celebration of our inherent inspiration, divinity and fantasy.

March:

Cape Town International Jazz Festival - World-renowned musicians provide a star-studded line-up at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

The Barleycorn Music Festival - Barleycorn’s principal function is to promote & present the best local, original music.

RAMfest - Celebrating years of Rock n Roll, the festival delivers the music that you all love as well as breaking into some new genres that they feel deserve showcasing.

K-Day - A full-day of live and local music festival. Some of the hottest local acts on the Kfm playlist will be performing on the same stage to a crowd of thousands - and you want to be a part of it.

April:

Easter Rock The River - "Build it, and they will come" they said. It was built, the party faithful followed and a legend was born!

Sowing the Seeds - Sowing the Seeds is a teaser event giving music fans a taste of what to look forward to at Rocking the Daisies

Easter Vortex - The best of psychedelic trance and chill out in Cape Town, South Africa

Nederburg Concerts: The annual Nederburg Concert Series once again features top local and international classical musicians in intimate recitals in the gracious Nederburg Manor House.

May:

Cape Town Big Band Jazz Festival - This community outreach programme supports musical education for school and university students.

Nederburg Concerts: The annual Nederburg Concert Series once again features top local and international classical musicians in intimate recitals in the gracious Nederburg Manor House. (Runs from May – Nov)

Kirstenbosch Winter Concert Series - whilst we do love the Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset concerts, there is something really cosy about the winter version as well. (Runs from May – October)

June:

Cape Town Marimba Festival - This vibrant festival features some of Cape Town's best marimba bands and culminates in a mass performance with over 120 players on stage.

July:

Chamber Music Festival - A selection of international institutions send student representatives to the festival, who perform in a wide variety of concerts with chamber music and orchestral playing.

August:

Youth Music Festival - Talented young singers and classical musicians are given the opportunity to perform with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra at the Artscape Theatre

September:

Cape Town International Opera Festival - Opera lovers will be pleased to know that Cape Town stages a three week international opera festival at the Nico Theatre complex.

October:

Musiek Oppie Lande – The Musiek-op-die-land (MOLfees) is held on an annual basis on the wheatfields in or around the Swartland town of Malmesbury in the Western Cape.

Rocking the Daisies Music Festival - This eco-friendly, lifestyle festival attracts over 10, 000 people. There’s gourmet food and live entertainment galore.

Franschhoek Classical Music Festival - Get your aural tickling at fine eateries as well as the Dutch Reformed Church. Expect excellent musicians performing a variety of classics.

Forbidden Fruit Festival - Experience a host of well known South African bands, artists and comedians at the Forbidden Fruit Music Festival.

Paul Cluver Amphitheatre Music Concerts - A towering Eucalyptus forest circles the intimate open-air arena which has been hewn from farm timber in its entirety. Performances are specifically chosen to match the natural acoustics of the venue. (Runs from September – Mar)

November:

KykNet Backsberg Picnic Concert Series - Pack your umbrellas, picnic blankets and cooler boxes and enjoy sunset acoustic performances from South Africa's popular musicians. (Runs from November – February)

Synergy Live - More than 60 local bands, live acts and top DJs take to the stage in the beautiful Boschendal estate, Franschhoek.

Kirstenbosch Summer Concert Series - A fantastic way to spend a Sunday afternoon in Cape Town. (Runs from November – April)

Blues Summit - This is the single biggest Blues festival in the country and has now been awarded the prestigous 'Category 5' award for outdoor music festivals by 'MusFEST SA.’

December:

World Aids Day Gala Concert - Hosted by the Africa Centre for HIV/AIDS Management, hosts international and local artists

Vortex - Every year this event is eagerly awaited by many people; it’s a weekend to be free, to be wild and most importantly to be psychedelic.

Rock The River - Voted “the coolest New Year’s Eve party to hit South Africa.


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