Out & About SA · Free State

Free State Events & Festivals

What's on across the Free State — Bloemfontein's MACUFE and Vrystaat arts festivals and Toyota Cheetahs rugby, the Ficksburg Cherry Festival, the Clarens Craft Beer Festival and the Fauresmith endurance ride. 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 – Free State ↗MACUFE / Mangaung festival ↗Ficksburg Cherry Festival ↗Clarens Craft Beer Festival ↗Toyota Cheetahs fixtures ↗Computicket ↗SA-Venues – Free State events ↗

Full list

Bielie Mielie Festival — Reitz. Annual festival celebrating maize in this Riemland farming community
Bloem Show (Bloemskou) — Bloemfontein. Long-running Mangaung agricultural show combining farming exhibits, shopping, food and family entertainment over…
Clarens Craft Beer Festival — Clarens. Annual craft-beer festival held in the mountain village of Clarens in late February (the 2026 edition ran 26-28…
Clarens Village Art & Craft Market — Clarens. Clarens is a well-known arts village where craft, art and food stalls trade around the village square, busiest on…
Cosmos Flower Season — Memel. Roadsides around Memel bloom with pink and white cosmos flowers in autumn, peaking March to April
Fauresmith International Endurance Ride — Fauresmith. Internationally renowned multi-day endurance horse ride through the southern Free State plains, one of the toughest…
Ficksburg Cherry Festival — Ficksburg. South Africa's oldest crop festival, celebrating the Free State cherry harvest with markets, tastings and…
Gariep Soaring / Gliding Championships — Gariep Dam. The wide open airspace over the lake hosts gliding and soaring championships each year
Harrismith Mountain Race — Harrismith. Historic annual race first run in 1922 that climbs to the summit of Platberg and back
MACUFE (Mangaung African Cultural Festival) — Bloemfontein. Major multi-day African arts, music and cultural festival held in Bloemfontein, traditionally in early-to-mid October…
Mangaung Rose Festival — Bloemfontein. Annual celebration of Bloemfontein's status as the 'City of Roses', with rose displays, garden events and markets…
Modderpoort Cave Church Pilgrimage — Ladybrand. Annual worship gathering and pilgrimage held at the Cave Church around Women's Day
NAMPO Harvest Day — Bothaville. South Africa's biggest agricultural expo, held annually in May at NAMPO Park
Nataniel: Sooibrand — Bloemfontein. Live stage show by South African entertainer Nataniel at the Sand du Plessis Theatre, Bloemfontein
Philippolis Valentines Market — Philippolis. Annual craft, food and music market held on Die Plein in Voortrekker Street
Toyota Cheetahs v Fidelity ADT Lions (Carling Currie Cup) — Bloemfontein. Carling Currie Cup home fixture for the Toyota Cheetahs at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein
Toyota Cheetahs v Hollywoodbets Sharks (Carling Currie Cup) — Bloemfontein. Carling Currie Cup home fixture for the Toyota Cheetahs at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein
Toyota Cheetahs v Sanlam Boland Kavaliers (Carling Currie Cup) — Bloemfontein. Carling Currie Cup home fixture for the Toyota Cheetahs at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein
VKB Knights Cricket Home Season — Bloemfontein. Home fixtures of the VKB Knights in the CSA domestic four-day, one-day and T20 competitions are played at the Mangaung…
Vrystaat Arts Festival (Vrystaat Kunstefees) — Bloemfontein. Major annual multidisciplinary arts festival hosted around the University of the Free State
Vrystaat Kunstefees (Vrystaat Arts Festival) — Bloemfontein. Flagship multilingual arts festival at the University of the Free State featuring theatre, music and visual art; the…
Welkom Fees — Welkom. Afrikaans music festival held in Welkom