March events in Cape Town and surrounds

Enjoying sporting, food, music and wine events in Cape Town's busiest month

Some locals try to keep it a secret, but many would recommend March as the perfect time to visit the Cape – it’s not too hot, but mild and lovely. The Cape Doctor starts to take it easy and so does the summer-hysteria. Some call it the champagne month of the year - It’s still got pace, but it’s a good one. March offers an endless line up of events.

Our selection of March happenings you don’t wanna miss:

The Cape Argus Pick’n Pay Cycle Tour (the largest timed cycling race in the world) is, arguably, one of the biggest sporting events on the Cape Town Calendar. Over 38 000 cyclists, of all ages and fitness levels, compete in the 105km cycling route around the beautiful Cape Peninsula. This is one of the most scenic cycle tours in the world.

Infecting the City is a festival of provocative national and international performance and public art works and turns the Cape Town CBD into an edgy theatre venue, over a number of days in March.

The Cape Epic, an annual extreme 8-stage mountain bike team race through the Western Cape, kicking off in March, is slightly more gruelling. The Cape Epic is the largest full-service mountain bike stage race in the world and the most televised mountain bike race of all time. A new route is designed each year and the race is entirely off-road, to guarantee the most extreme mountain bike race in the world.

Cape Town shows and shares its creativity with leading and upcoming creative designers from all over the world. Why not pimp up your home and inspire your creative mind with a visit at the Design Indaba Expo? Architects, designers, jewelry-designers and more showcase their cutting edge creations, each year.

Music! Get grooving at the end of March with the annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival. A bling weekend full of Jazz, showcasing local and international artists. The festival is one of the seven most popular Jazz festivals, worldwide. Be sure to find the 'who’s who' from all over Mzansi, in Cape Town, at this jazzy weekend.

RAMfest has grown to be a highlight on the annual rock music festival calendar in South Africa. An no-holds-barred, unforgettable experience with a collective of like minded music- and rock lovers - the RAMfest is Cape Town’s number one alternative music festival.

It's time to dust off your leprechaun outfit and stick a shamrock to your forehead. St Patrick's Day is a firm favourite among Guinness guzzling Cape Town locals. Irish music spills from the pubs onto the streets, large felt hats are donned by all and, for one day, the city is whipped into an Irish jig.

More culture needed this March? Held in the Western Cape ostrich capital of Oudtshoorn, the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival, otherwise known as the ABSA KKNK, offers music, dance, poetry, theatre and cabaret, for the whole family. It's certainly one of the most established art festivals in South Africa.

Also food, but here we’re specifically talking crayfish @ the Lamberts Bay Crayfish Festival. Indulge in seafood and rock to tunes by some of South Africa's favourite musicians, before the end of the season.

The annual K-Day Music Festival brings top national bands to Lourensford Wine Estate, in Somerset West, near Cape Town. Pack a blanket and a picnic hamper to enjoy a whole day of live music in the countryside. Tickets sell out quickly.

Sprint selflessly in Cape Town’s Sport Relief Mile. With a crowd of more than 400 000  runners in the last run, which took place in the UK, the Sport Relief Mile has proven itself an exciting, easy and especially successful, yearly charity race. Now it’s your chance to make a difference for the children of the Mother City, in the inaugural Cape Town Sport Relief Mile, this March!

Inspired by the annual productions in London's Regent Park, Shakespeare (with a local twist) has been performed every summer in Wynberg at the Shakespeare at Maynardville Open-Air Theater, annually in March. Many theater-goers begin their warm, summer evening by picnicking in the park, before the show begins.

The CapeGate Wedding Expo is a fairly new event on Cape Town’s calendar and happens at the CapeGate Shopping Centre. It's the perfect time to plan your wedding and to check out wedding dresses, exquisite jewellery, flowers, make-up artists, hairstylists, photographers, videographers and much more.

Since the first edition the Cape Winelands Film Festival (CWFF) has significantly grown in size and international participation. Check out numerous features, documentaries and short films from over 35 countries, on a couple of hundreds screenings.

The Cape Town Carnival brings a touch of Rio to the streets of Cape Town with rhythm, roots and boots. It’s an exciting platform to showcase the heart of Cape Town and transforms the streets of Cape Town into a sight to be seen, with bright colours, costumes and larger-than-life floats. The carnival takes place every year on the third weekend of March.

The annual Cape Town Festival (the former Cape Town One City Festival in September) is a celebration of Cape Town's cultural diversity. An incredible variety of events including processions, theatre, music, art exhibitions and parties throughout the streets and venues of the city.

Join the families and friends of Valley Pre-primary School in Hout Bay for the annual Hout Bay sandcastle competition. Get your buckets and spades ready and make a difference to the lives of children. The funds raised go towards improving facilities and sponsoring under privileged children at Valley Pre-Primary school, Sentinel High School in the Hout Bay Harbour community and Little Lamb Crèche in Imizamo Yethu township.

Harvest Festivals in the Cape Winelands

Ommiberg Around the Rock is set to rock the gorgeous town of Paarl. A unique opportunity to taste the first of the year’s vintage across the route - unfiltered and straight from the tank in the middle of harvest time - the event pairs wines along with other unusual gourmet offerings. Children can enjoy pony rides, slip-n-slides, tractor and trailer rides; whilst cooking demonstrations, art exhibitions and glass blowing entertain moms. There is music for everyone.

In Franschhoek, music grows from the same ground as the grapes. The harvest is in and it’s time to party. The annual Franschhoek Oesfees is held at the Solms-Delta wine estate at the beginning of the Franschhoek Wine Valley. The harvest event embraces South African history through the Cape’s rich musical and culinary heritage, during an authentic celebration of the harvest.

Wellington (45 minutes from Cape Town) cannot wait to treat you with all the delicacies on offer at its Wellington Wine Harvest Festival. Come and celebrate the harvest with remarkable and award-winning wines, wine walks, mountain biking, wholesome family fun, footstomping music and lip-smacking food.

The successful inaugural Mont Rochelle Harvest Festival is an exclusive event with an intimate, hands-on harvesting experience (for a limited number of guests only). Harvest fun will start with 8am, freshly brewed coffee and pastries, followed by grape-picking among the lush vineyards.

Earth Hour is a global event organized by WWF and is held on the last Saturday of March annually. Households and businesses are asked to turn off their non-essential lights and other electrical appliances, for one hour, to raise awareness about climate change. Be part of this easy (?) exercise and light your candles during Earth Hour in Cape Town.

And don’t forget, Human Rights Day in South Africa. On the 21st March, this annual public holiday  celebrates South Africas unique constitution and equal rights for all. The date was chosen as a public holiday because of its historical significance, and many events take place on Human Rights Day in South Africa every year.

Read our overview of all South African public holidays.

*PLEASE NOTE* All dates are subject to change

Obviously, March in Cape Town offers many more smaller events, charity evenings, live music concerts and other great things to do that take place every year in Cape Town, its surrounding cities and villages in the Western Cape. For the latest update check our Cape Town events calendar closer to the time and follow us on our Facebook page and on Twitter.

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

Enjoy it!