3 – 11 OCT 2026
Business journalistRyk van Niekerk talks to the founder of Curro and the woman who remains one of the group’s leading figures. Dr Chris van der Merwe, the schoolteacher who became a business giant, started Curro in 1998 with his severance package and built it into a South African success story. Mari Lategan, Deputy CEO, joins […]
The poetic arts take priority at our second annual Day of Poetry. Featuring readings, recitals and in-depth discussions, the programme introduces a diverse array of poets’ voices and we pay tribute to one of the great spirits who dedicated her life to this high art form. Come and listen and experience the glorious pleasure of […]
The 15th Dagbreek Street Race will take place in the beautiful Victoria Street. There are 7 races with 17 divisions, from under-10 to veterans. Come and run or watch others run at this fun event filled with music, entertainment and prizes. This year we honour middle distance legend Sydney Maree, who set the World record […]
Dave Pepler’s latest book is about change. Systems, whether complex or simple, remain stable until an external influence causes the entire system to undergo a phase change: ice becomes water, water becomes steam. This phenomenon also applies to humans. One day we are stable and happy, the next we are shattered. One day we are […]
Building on Strauss & Co’s exhibition Anything but Static: A Selection of Modern and Contemporary Still Life, this panel discussion explores how the genre continues to evolve beyond its traditional boundaries. From historical conventions to contemporary interpretations, still life remains a powerful way of reflecting on identity, culture, and the world around us. Join us […]
With Sandra Prinsloo A 10-year-old girl accidentally discovers the existence of a sister who died two years before she was born. That girl was Annie Ernaux, recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2022. Suddenly, Annie was no longer an only child, but the substitute for a profound absence that lives on in her […]
This multidisciplinary exhibition explores the fragile beauty of South Africa’s underwater ecosystems. FeaturingFreda Theron’s marine cyanotypes, Ceramic Matters’ ceramic and glass reefs, and Hanlé Hill’s tactile textile kelp forests, the collection dives beneath the surface to honor our indigenous corals and seagrasses. Together with guest artists, this visual archive celebrates the unseen biodiversity of our […]
2011 With Rian Malan, Ian RobertsandRadio Kalahari Orkes, Jack Parow, Valiant Swart A desperate man searches for Slangfontein, a mysterious village in the Kalahari hinterland. To find it, he follows the signal of the ghostly Radio Kalahari to the heart of a boere music utopia that is “a hundred years behind the times, but still […]
Presented by VIA VIA’s beloved talk show Geselsis coming to Woordfees for the first time! Join Leandie du Randt for a live breakfast experience filled with coffee, conversation and practical life hacks. Expect honest, inspiring chats, meaningful connections, and a beautifully curated morning designed to leave you refreshed and uplifted.
Presented by Flyleaf The history of braaibroodjies followsFrans de Villiers as he traces the story of this braai classic. He looks back 300 years as he studies old recipe books, digs around in church archives, and finds clues and ingredients in farmers’ almanacs, travel journals, VOC correspondence, newspapers and magazines. Naturally, he also gets to […]
Discover the fascinating history of South African recipe books in this captivating talk by author, entrepreneur, and amateur historian Frans de Villiers, author of Die geskiedenis van braaibroodjies (The History of Braaibroodjies). Learn more about some of the oldest local recipe books and manuscripts still in existence, in particular publications from around the turn of […]
The winners are crowned in this final round of the competition that is modeled on the Dutch Groot Dictee which has been held in the Netherlands and Flanders since 1990. The concept is simple: A text of 250 to 300 words is read out several times and learners must listen carefully and write it down […]
