Out & About SA · Eastern Cape

Eastern Cape Events & Festivals

What's on across the Eastern Cape — Makhanda's National Arts Festival, the Ironman African Championship in Gqeberha, Test cricket at St George's Park, the Bathurst Show, the Wild Coast sardine run and the Karoo heartland festivals. Dated events show soonest-first and drop off once they've passed; seasonal and annual events are listed below them. Filter by region and type.

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📅 Where these come from

Event listings move around and dates shift year to year — these are the best live sources to check for the latest:

Quicket – Eastern Cape ↗National Arts Festival, Makhanda ↗Ironman African Championship ↗Cricket at St George's Park ↗Computicket ↗Webtickets ↗SA-Venues – Eastern Cape events ↗

Full list

Bathurst Agricultural Show — Bathurst. One of the country's oldest agricultural shows, with livestock, produce, crafts and family entertainment in the village…
Bathurst Ox Braai — Bathurst. Community whole-ox braai fundraiser and country social event
Battiss Art Festival — Somerset East. An arts festival in Somerset East celebrating the town's most famous son, painter Walter Battiss
Bedford Garden Festival — Bedford. Annual open-gardens festival showcasing the town's country gardens each spring
Buffalo City Beach Festival — East London. Annual summer beachfront festival in East London
Buyel'Ekhaya Pan African Festival — East London. Flagship festive-season music festival celebrating African music and heritage, staged at Buffalo Park in East London
Church in the Bush — Seafield. Long-running annual open-air holiday church service held at Kleinemonde
Corona Open J-Bay (JBay Pro) — Jeffreys Bay. World Surf League Championship Tour event held at Supertubes each winter, drawing the world's top surfers
Corona Open J-Bay / J-Bay Surf Festival — Jeffreys Bay. World-class surfing at Supertubes, though Jeffreys Bay was dropped from the 2026 WSL Championship Tour in favour of…
EP Elephants Currie Cup Rugby — Gqeberha. Eastern Province Elephants play their Currie Cup First Division home fixtures during the domestic rugby season
Etienne van Heerden Veldsoirée — Cradock. A literary and arts festival in Cradock named for the acclaimed Karoo author Etienne van Heerden
Fish River Canoe Marathon — Cradock. South Africa's largest two-day canoe marathon, raced on the Great Fish River near Cradock
Garlic Harvest Festival — Nieu-Bethesda. A small artisanal food festival marking the garlic harvest in Nieu-Bethesda
Hogsback Arts Festival — Hogsback. Village arts festival showcasing local music, craft and performance
Hogsback Spring Festival (Open Gardens) — Hogsback. Annual spring festival with private gardens opened to the public by the Hogsback Garden Club
IRONMAN African Championship — Gqeberha. Africa's premier full-distance IRONMAN triathlon, swum in Nelson Mandela Bay with a bike and run through Gqeberha
Ironman South Africa African Championship — Summerstrand. Major triathlon whose swim leg starts at Hobie Beach in Summerstrand each April
Isuzu Ironman African Championship — Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth. Full-distance Ironman triathlon and African Championship held annually in the bay
JBay Winterfest — Jeffreys Bay. Winter festival of surfing, sport and entertainment built around the pro surf contest
Jeffreys Bay Surf Festival — Jeffreys Bay. Community surf and lifestyle festival celebrating the town's surfing culture
Karoo Food & Wine Festival — Cradock. Cradock celebrates Karoo lamb, regional produce and wine over a food-focused weekend in the Great Karoo
Karoo Food Festival — Cradock/Nxuba. Annual festival celebrating Karoo cuisine and local produce
Karoo Winter Wool Festival — Middelburg. Annual celebration of wool, food, farming and Karoo culture
Lady Grey Passion Play — Lady Grey. Community Easter passion play staged annually and the town's signature event
Live Concerts at The Boardwalk — Gqeberha. The Boardwalk Casino and its ICC arena host touring musicians and tribute shows through the year in Summerstrand
Maluti Military Fair — Matatiele. Annual militaria and outdoor fair held in the Maluti district
Matatiele Music Festival — Matatiele. Annual music festival celebrating local and regional artists
Morgan Bay Touch Rugby & Cricket Tournament — Kei Mouth. Annual festive-season beach sports gathering held on Morgan Bay Beach between Christmas and New Year
National Arts Festival — Makhanda. Africa's largest arts festival fills Makhanda with theatre, music, dance and visual art; the 2026 edition ran 25 June –…
Nelson Mandela Bay Splash Festival — Gqeberha. Family beach festival at King's Beach with watersports, live music, food stalls and fireworks over the Easter weekend
New Year's Festival of Lights — Nieu-Bethesda. Candlelit New Year gathering that lights up the streets of the village
Nieu-Bethesda Arts Festival — Nieu-Bethesda. Annual celebration of the village's artists with exhibitions, music and workshops
Nieu-Bethesda Festival of Lights — Nieu-Bethesda. The tiny Karoo village of Nieu-Bethesda glows for its annual festive-season Festival of Lights
PG Bison Ugie Fam-Fest — Ugie. Annual family sports-and-fun festival bringing the Ugie and Maclear communities together, hosted by PG Bison
Port Alfred Easter Festival — Port Alfred. Annual holiday festival of markets, music and family activities over the Easter period
Queenstown Art Exhibition — Queenstown/Komani. Annual exhibition of paintings and sculpture held in the town around early June
Rhodes Trail Run — Rhodes. Annual 52km mountain ultra-marathon starting and finishing in Rhodes village
Ride the Karoo — Middelburg. Multi-day mountain-bike stage race through the Karoo Heartland
Run the Karoo — Middelburg. Trail-running event across Karoo farmland around Middelburg
Sardine Run — Coffee Bay. Seasonal marine migration off the Wild Coast attracting divers and wildlife watchers
Schreiner Karoo Writers Festival — Cradock/Nxuba. Annual literary festival inspired by Olive Schreiner
Schreiner Writers Festival — Cradock. A literary festival in Cradock honouring writer Olive Schreiner, whose home lies in the surrounding Karoo
Scifest Africa — Makhanda/Grahamstown. National science festival with exhibitions, talks and hands-on activities
Somerset East Fly Fishing Festival — Somerset East. Anglers gather in the Bruintjieshoogte mountains near Somerset East for a winter fly-fishing festival
South Africa v Australia 2nd Test — Gqeberha. The Proteas host Australia in a five-day Test at St George's Park, the oldest Test cricket ground in South Africa
South Africa v Bangladesh 1st ODI — East London. The Proteas open their one-day series against Bangladesh at Buffalo Park in East London
South Africa v Bangladesh 2nd ODI — Gqeberha. One-day international between the Proteas and Bangladesh at historic St George's Park
South African Schools Boat Race (National Schools Regatta) — Port Alfred. Major inter-schools rowing regatta held on the Kowie River
SPAR Kirkwood Wildsfees — Kirkwood/Nqweba. Large annual game, agricultural and lifestyle festival that the town is best known for
St Francis Bay Calamari Festival — St Francis Bay. Festival celebrating the town's calamari (chokka) fishing industry with food and entertainment
St Francis Calamari (Chokka) Festival — Cape St Francis. Annual festival celebrating the local calamari (chokka) squid industry and cuisine
Stoep Tasting Wine Weekend — Graaff-Reinet. Producers spread their tables across Graaff-Reinet and Nieu-Bethesda for the Karoo Wine Club's stoep-tasting weekends
Storms River Traverse — Storms River. Multi-day mountain-bike stage race based at Storms River village
Stutterheim MTB & Trail Run — Stutterheim. Community mountain-bike and trail-running event in the Kologha forests
Tri the Karoo Triathlon — Graaff-Reinet. Standalone triathlon challenge set in and around the historic Karoo town
Tsitsikamma Ultra — Storms River. A 50km trail run through the Tsitsikamma forests and mountains
Ugie Knockout Cup — Ugie. Annual community soccer tournament organised by PG Bison in Ugie
Vlam en Vesel Fees — Aberdeen. A community food and crafts festival in the Karoo town of Aberdeen
Walter Battiss Art Festival — Somerset East/KwaNojoli. Annual November arts festival in KwaNojoli with exhibitions, live music, workshops and a craft market honouring Walter…
Wild Coast Sardine Run — Port St Johns. The 'greatest shoal on Earth' draws millions of sardines and their predators along the Wild Coast in the southern winter
Wild Trout Festival — Tiffindell. Annual catch-and-release fly-fishing festival on the rivers around Rhodes, organised by the Wild Trout Association
Wine on Water Festival — St Francis Bay. Waterfront wine-tasting event held along the St Francis Bay canals