Beards, Booze, Food and Cabaret at The Barrels and Beards Harvest Festival

Farmers are fun too, and you'll find that out at the annual celebration of harvest, harmony and facial hair.

The beard maketh the man, so they say. That doesn't ring truer than in the Overberg on the Bot River Wine Route, where every year the farmers spend the harvest season growing their beards. The result? A festival that culminates with a competition between the various farmers to determine who has the best chin fluff.

They call it the Barrels and Beard Harvest Festival, and it's happening on Saturday, 13 April 2019.

THE LEGEND OF THE BEARDS
The folklore says that nine years ago the farmers in the region challenged each other to grow the most luxuriant beard. So on 1 February each year, to mark the start of the harvest, the renowned winemakers (men AND women) from the region shave off their facial hair and stop shaving it for the duration of the harvest. Come the end of the harvest, they gather to showcase their lovingly cultivated wines ... and finest whiskers.

BESIDES THE BEARDS

The festival will feature complimentary barrel tastings, wine for sale at cellar prices, and a special auction of some of the best vintage wines in the region. This is followed by the traditional Botriviera feast. Last but not least is the beard competition. But this isn't ye old catwalk modelling vibe: Each winemaker choreographs a fun and quirky cabaret show to parade his beard, winners are chosen by a panel of judges.

PARTICIPATING WINE FARMS AT THE 2019 BOT RIVER BARRELS AND BEARDS HARVEST FESTIVAL

• Anysbos
• Barton
• Beaumont
• Arcangeli
• Eerste Hoop
• Gabriëlskloof
• Luddite
• Genevieve
• Goedvertrouw
• Thorne & Daughters
• Momento
• Maremmana
• Paardenkloof
• Rivendell
• Wildekrans

BYOB (BRING YOUR OWN BEARD)
No! You can't enter the beard competition, but you can go to the festival all bearded up, just to show these farmers how we do things downtown.

TICKETS FOR THE 2019 BOT RIVER BARRELS AND BEARDS HARVEST FESTIVAL
Tickets to the harvest festival are R450pp and you can book online.

ABOUT THE BOT RIVER WINE ROUTE
The Bot River region, located a mere hour’s drive from Cape Town, lies en route to the vibrant village of Hermanus. Each year, the local wine community celebrates a fruitful harvest and toasts the winemakers of the Overberg region with hearty fare and sips straight from the barrels of new vintages.

The lush valley is home to an eclectic bunch of conservation-conscious wineries, from historic and traditional boutique operations to modern and state-of-the-art cellars.

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Le Cabaret De Curiostiés brings cabaret, circus (and burlesque) to Cape Town this month.

If you like being entertained while having your dinner, have a look at these great dinner theatres.

There are more things happening this month, go find out in our April events post.

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