Experience the South African Christmas in winter and head for Tulbagh. Don’t miss out on a Christmas with a difference from the 28 June to 29 June 2008.

Decorations will dazzle with Christmas lights and trees! There’s even traditional Christmas dinners which will be served at local restaurants. So come hungry and bring your entire family.

You can shop for arts and crafts on sale. For the jazz fans, bands ensure good entertainment. Party with good ol’ Santa Clause at the 'Rock with Santa' party.

And if cheese and wine tasting’s your kind of thing, then experience that throughout the valley.

Call Patty for more information - 023 230 1348.

Get to South Africa’s Gourmet capital to celebrate its centuries-old French Huguenot heritage. I’m talking about the Franschhoek Bastille Festival on the weekend of 12 and 13 July 2008.

Prepare yourself for a wonderful combination of food, wine and entertainment. There’s tons of activities for the whole family which will make for a memorable weekend. Take advantage of hotels and guest houses who throw in a complimentary bottle of Franschhoek wine!

Expect a gastronomic affair with the theme of great cuisine and fine wines running throughout the celebration. Chefs and wine makers aim to please by showcasing the very best they have to offer. Award-winning restaurants are even going the extra mile by designing menus especially for the Bastille celebrations.

The Bastille Food and Wine Marquee is where the hub’s at. Experience the showcased talents of well-established wineries and famous chefs. Look forward to fares such as oysters, sushi, local and French cheeses to charcuterie, hand-made chocolates and salmon trout. Complemented with a Franschhoek wine certainly!

The festival not only caters for the foodie culture but looks after the culture vultures too! You can check out various galleries, boutiques, craft shops and food emporiums. All dressed in French garb.

Take your family to see French films at Le Quartier’s Screening Room. Or even as spectators at the chefs and waiters race. Participate in a game of street soccer, a barrel-rolling contest and fly-fishing competitions!

For the party animals, there’s musicians’ hitting those jivey notes. Your kids will be taken care of for hours with tons of children’s activities. As the French say, C’est la vie!

19 Wineries from Ashton, Bonnievale, McGregor and Robertson will welcome you into their homes, to their dinner tables and onto their farms to spend some time...Slowly. It’s known as the Robertson Slow.

Check it out on the 9 August to the 12 August 2008 in Robertson. You can anticipate traditional Robertson fare such as waterblommetjie bredie, organic tripe stew, leg of springbok and home-smoked pork. Rounded off with good wine naturally!

If you’ve ever wanted to learn to cook, there’s a lesson where you’ll make pasta, cheese or salami.

Enjoy activities such as Stargazing, Photography, Campfire Story-Telling, Horse Riding, Boating and Fynbos and Renosterveld Walks.

Tickets are only available by booking in advance, so get to it! This weekend’s a must if you’re a wine lover who prefers a slower pace.

The Hermanus Whale Festival is the only Enviro-Arts festival in South Africa. Held annually it celebrates the return of the Southern Right whales to the waters of Walker Bay. It also marks the arrival of spring! Catch it from the 24 September to September 2008.

Hermanus is known as the best land based whale watching destination in the world. It plays host to thousands of visitors who gather at the seaside resort to exhilarate in the unique natural environment. Here you can watch whales, join in the world’s only Welcome Whales Wave and revel in music, comedy, cabaret and African rhythms every night during the Festival.

The whales are the star performers at the Festival. But on land you can watch musicians, crafters, sports celebrities and thousands of people celebrating spring.

Contact the Festival office on 028 313 0928