Head to The Villiersdorp Festival This Weekend

Now in its 89th year, the popular Villiersdorp Agri Festival has teamed up with the town’s annual arts festival. It promises to be a bustling local affair that enlists well known performing and visual artists alongside up and coming local talent.

This year’s excellent line up features diverse toe tapping musical acts plus arts, cultural and fun events for the whole family. The organisers have put a considerable amount of time and effort into ensuring there are plenty of dedicated activities and events for children. Starting Friday 17th until Sunday 19th October, the unconventional Villiersdorp festival is all about fresh country air, feasting and celebration.

What’s on the festival menu?

A cleverly crafted itinerary includes numerous visual art exhibitions at galleries and in private homes. Partake in apple packing or potjiekos competitions. See horse shows and dog competitions or a live musical painting demonstration. Enter the mountain bike race for scholars and adults. Attend the falcon or snake show. If adrenaline or reptiles aren’t your thing though, pop along to see an illusionist perform, be entertained by gumboot dancers or see a Cape fynbos display.

How to get there

Conveniently close to Cape Town, come and see for yourself why Villiersdorp is the ideal day trip or weekend getaway for the whole family. Getting there by car is easy. Take the N2 highway heading east past Somerset West and over Sir Lowry’s Pass. Immediately after the Peregrine Farm Stall (iconic landmark) as you head into Elgin (Grabouw) turn left at the R321/Grabouw off ramp. Proceed for just over 1 km and turn right into Main Road. Continue on until you hit Villiersdorp town. View map here.

Getting around made fun and easy

Villiersdorp is famous for its prolific vintage tractor museum. In fact, festivalgoers will get to experience the festival’s unique hop-on, hop-off tractor and trailer taxi system. In between stops, you’ll get to feast on hearty country fare and sample some exceptional local wines while you hum along to everything from light classical to Afrikaans pop.

Need to know festival information

The much-anticipated gala concert on Saturday night features recognisable songs from opera, musicals, cabaret, classical, street and café music. Recently back from their two gold medal achievement at the World Choir Games, the Tygerberg Children’s Choir will also be performing. The Little Winds Quartet in the old St Augustine village chapel brings the weekend’s proceedings to a close on Sunday.

Tickets to all concerts are available from Computicket or via the Villiersdorp Tourism Office. Most other events are open to the general public and are free of charge. Do familiarise yourself with the Villiersdorp festival itinerary though to establish the events that require booking and those that require entrance fees so as not to be disappointed.

For more information about the festival contact Villiersdorp Tourism on 028 840 0082.