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Obz Festival held on a Saturday at the beginning of the month, is a huge one-day street party held in the bohemian suburb of Observatory. The main stage is set up on Lower Main Street, and features non-stop live music from local jazz and funk bands, plus stand-up comedy and some rock music. There are also dozens of stalls selling second-hand clothes, trendy bags and jewellery, plus food and drink stands. All of the bars and cafés open their doors and hold all-night parties. The festival has a distinctly local feel, although it attracts the young and hip from all round Cape Town. Long Street Carnival, held for a weekend in the middle of the month, is another street party, held on buzzing Long Street. Several stages are set up along the road and down some of the side streets, featuring live music (mostly rock bands and techno music) and stand-up comedy. There are also a couple of fairground rides and a number of stalls selling clothes, music and food. Although the festival can be rather forlorn during the day, it really fills up in the evenings. See http://www.longstreet.co.za Mother City Queer Project costume party, held on a Saturday night at the beginning of the month, is a vast costume party and the biggest gay event in town. Basically an all-night dance event, this is one of the best parties in Cape Town, with several stages playing techno, house, funk and 70’s disco hits. The annual theme (it was Farm Fresh in 2002) guarantees outrageous and hilarious costumes and an up-beat atmosphere. The venue changes every year, but is usually held somewhere with a large capacity (such as the Good Hope Centre), and the event’s huge popularity means ticket usually sell out. See http://www.mcqp.co.za for more details. Clifton Challenge, on Clifton Beach 4 on a Saturday in the middle of the month, is a fitness challenge between the Springbok rugby team and local Clifton lifesavers. This is the event for the beautiful people, attracting the usual well-heeled beach crowd, and entails a day of tug-of-war and similar ‘tests’, plus live music and competitions. There is also the ‘Mr and Mrs Clifton’ competition, a rather archaic beauty show with inevitable bronzed blonds winning the cherished titles. Kirstenbosch Summer Concerts take place every Sunday from December until March. These are undoubtedly a summer highlight and should not be missed. The outdoor concerts are held on rolling lawns in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, with the unrivalled backdrop of the mountains and gardens. The atmosphere is typically relaxed: visitors spread blankets on the grass and enjoy boozy picnics while listening to the music. The concerts ranges from popular classics and opera to jazz, world music and South African favourites such as Johnny Clegg. See http://www.nbi.ac.za for more details.
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