My Cape Town

It was the noise that puzzled me first, then the vibrations became quite alarming as I turned on to the highway – a thrumming drone, increasing to a roar and then thousands upon thousands of them were all around me.  Middle-aged housewives spreading amply over the seats of their scooters rode next to the whiskered and well-muscled on their Harleys; farmers on their quad bikes next to hijabed-and-helmeted town ladies riding pillion.  And tied to the front of each bike was a football or a cricket bat or a fluffy bunny.

A seething mass of black leather and throbbing engines might seem a world away from the red felt and jingling bells normally associated with Christmas, but the bikers of the Cape Town Toy Run have much in common with old St Nick.  Practical outdoor garb and facial hair aside, this annual event in Cape Town was the original seed for what has become the biggest motorbike charity event in the world, its gathering and distribution of gifts for children rivalled only by Father Christmas himself.  Probably.

The Toy Run also marks the beginning of the holiday season here, a time when a naturally laid-back population slides happily and effortlessly into festival mode for the summer months ahead.

And what a lot we have to celebrate – it’s been quite a year!  Not only did Cape Town saunter its way past many hundreds of contending cities to bag a spot on the World Monopoly board, but our mayor (and leader of the opposition) Helen Zille was voted the Best Mayor in the World. Dorling Kindersley, publisher of the world’s best-selling city guidebooks, has included Cape Town in its top 10 list of favourite cities for 2009, and the Mothercity was also judged recently as Best World City by readers of the Daily Telegraph. 

So now it seems many more people know what Capetonians have known for years – that this is simply the best place to be. Political upheaval?  Recession?  Pah... one of the biggest problems is deciding where to spend New Year’s Eve.  On a boat?  Open air concert?  Street party?  Top restaurant? With firedancers on the Piazza?  Picnic under the stars? At a wine farm? On the top of Table Mountain?

If you are not here in Cape Town then, well, I’m sorry.  And I look forward to hearing from you in 2009.  Have a good one!

Daisy

Upcoming Events

Highlights for January, selected from  WhatsoninCapeTown.com   - the indispensable guide to all that's happening in Cape Town.   For more events and full details of venues, times, ticket prices etc, check out the website .  Upcoming events include festivals, shows and fairs; music, theatre and dance; football and other sporting events; comedy and concerts and exhibitions; celebrations of wine and whiskey, flowers and freedom... bring it on, Cape Town!   

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SPECIAL OFFER: TABLE MOUNTAIN CABLEWAY SUNSET SPECIAL
ongoing to 28 February
Enjoy the sunset from one of the world’s most memorable sites at a special sundowner rate. 

WILLIAM KENTRIDGE EXHIBITION
ongoing to 3 March
A multi-channel projection installation of eight film fragments, created by one of South Africa's most acclaimed artists. Based on the absurdist story, The Nose, by Nikolai Gogol, the installation is a mix of visual,vocal and instrumental elements. 

ART: Voices of the Ancestors
ongoing to 15 March
An exhibition of 100 African musical instruments from the Iziko collections, displayed here as works of art.  

CAPE MINSTREL CARNIVAL
1 January
The traditional start to the New Year in Cape Town.

Arno Carstens & Karen Zoid
3 January
Former lead singer of the Springbok Nude Girls, Arno Carstens, shares a double bill with rock diva Karen Zoid.

Kirstenbosch Summer Concert: Plush
4 January
This Capetonian accoustic rock duo has recently returned from a highly successful tour of the United Kingdom.

Theatre: As You Like It
7 January - 14 February
This adaptation of Shakespeare's pastoral comedy is directed by the acclaimed director Geoffrey Hyland. Bring a picnic. 

Kirstenbosch Summer Concert: Watershed
11 January
Most famous for their signature song Indigo Girl the rock band performs hits including their new single Breathe.

Theatre: The Tempest
17 January - 6 February
This unique production of William Shakespeare's magical last play is filled with African ritual, music and dance. 

Kirstenbosch Summer Concert: Loyiso Bala and friends
18 January
Loyiso was the youngest conductor of the National Youth Choir in 2000 at the age of 19, and has since toured to over 16 international destinations. 

Ajax Cape Town vs Moroka Swallows (Johannesburg)
24 January
Local soccer stars go head to head.

Kirstenbosch Summer Concert: Prime Circle
25 January
One of the most successful rock bands in South Africa perform hit singles including Live This Life, Hello, As Long As I Am Here and many more. 

Steve Newman
25 January
The acoustic guitarist's new CD, Flavour, blends tastes from Cape to Cuba, Asia to Africa, Canary Islands to Caribbean and more.

COURSE: THE PASSIONS OF PUCCINI
26 January - 30 January
Presented by Professor Angelo Gobbato, this course of 5 lectures focusses on the women who played a key role in Puccini's life and the parallels between his own romantic involvements and the content of his operas. Extracts from the operas will be performed by singers from the Cape Town Opera Studio and UCT Opera School.  

Theatre: Miss Africa South
27 January - 1 February
What happens to those who were once famous, and have now fallen into obscurity? During the apartheid years, Asian, African and bi-racial girls were not permitted in the Miss South Africa contest, but had their own beauty pageant, Miss Africa South.  In Afrikaans and English.

Film Screening: Cry, The Beloved Country
30 January
Based on Alan Paton's classic story of a Zulu Christian pastor, Stephen Khumalo, and his journey from a quiet Natal province to a modern, sinister Johannesburg in search of his son, his sister, and his brother.

Soweto Gospel Choir: African Spirit
30 January - 31 January
A spiritual journey through well-loved songs such as Tshepa Thapelo, Woza Meli Wami, Amazing Grace, Jimmy Cliff's One Love, Bob Dylan's I'll Remember You and World in Union. 

Theatre: Pythonesque
30 January - 14 February
Playwright Roy Smiles's brilliant and irreverent history of comedy comes to a fitting climax with this tribute to the Monty Python team.

HELDERBERG WINE RACE
31 January
Participants must decipher clues leading them to unexplored wine farms and a range of activities including food pairing and blindfolded wine tasting. Race winners receive wine from each wine estate visited en route. 

Baroque Spectacular
31 January
South Africa's well loved maestro, Richard Cock, conducts a celebration of the world's most beautiful Baroque music, performed by Florian Uhlig (piano), Corinne Chapelle (violin) and Zoe Beyers (violin) with the Stellenbosch University Camerata. The programme includes Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No 5 and Double Violin Concerto as well as a Handel Concerto Grosso and Vivaldi's Four Seasons.

Film Screening: Yesterday
31 January
The Oscar-nominated story of a young mother who discovers that she is HIV positive and is left to fend for herself and her young daughter, Beauty, with the one dream that she will survive long enough to see her child go to school

Watershed
31 January
The hugely successful band performs songs from their brand new CD.

Ajax Cape Town vs Kaizer Chiefs (Johannesburg)
31 January
Local soccer stars go head to head.

J&B Met
31 January
South Africa’s biggest summer racing day is also a huge fashion and social event.