It’s a phenomenon. South African craft beer festivals in September that, like the blossoms of spring, sprout after what was an exceptionally festival arid August. This article, first published in September 2013, has been updated for the exciting month of September 2016.
In 2013 I excitedly wrote about 4 festivals for that year’s September. 3 years later there’s now a clamour of7 and, to be fair, they’re not all craft beer festivals, but after August I feared never seeing a festival again.
Below is a quick summary of the South African craft beer festivals in September that you can look forward to.
Thousand Sensations Craft Beer & Food Festival takes place 16 – 17 September on the Garden Route in Wilderness, near George.
It’s lining up a flood of craft beer producers for this popular holiday area, and it’s doing so in the middle of the South African school holidays.
Expect lots of beer. Expect lots of people. And expect lots of people looking for lots of beer. There’s more to it than just beer at thefestival though. There’s other exhibitions, tastings and even events in the week leading up to it.
Read more about Thousand Sensations, and get details for tickets you should book very soon, on their Festival Listing Page.
Overin Rosetta, a village on the Midlands Meander in KwaZulu-Natal, the Rosetta Craft Beer Festival is a more intimate affair.
They’re bringing together 7 exclusively KwaZulu-Natal brewers for an event that will focus on introducing you to what the region is producing.
Personable craft beer tastings, fine foods and entertainment, make the Rosetta Craft Beer Festival an excellent choice for a family day out. Non-drinkers, and those under 18, enter for free.
Visit their Festival Listing Page for more details and those all important ticket links.
SAB’s The Bierfest seems a little out of place on any craft beer list, but The Bierfest does offer a range of festival beers, which are less commonly found at other times and places, so you will still have a beer adventure. The first event is in Joburg from 2 – 4 September, followed by another in Durban, on the weekend of 30 September.
The Cradle Craft Beer Festivalon 3 Septemberis hosted byBlack Horse Brewery, and brings Rockland Brewery and Cederberg Brewery together for an afternoon of enjoying craft beer and entertainment. Cradle Craft Beer Festival takes place inSeekoeihoek Valley, Magaliesburg.
Also on 3 September, but on the other side of the country, the Robertson Beer Festivalis destined for, you guessed it, Robertson. Details about this year’s edition are a little scant so far, but rumour has it 14craft breweries are signed up for it, and last yearit attracted quite the crowd. We would expect no less from this year’s Robertson Beer Festival.The venue is the Robertson Showgrounds.
Even Limpopo is getting in on the September festival action. On 10 September the Kings Walden Local Craft Beer Festival takes place at Kings Walden Garden Manor in Tzaneen. Five breweries are set to delight the craft beer curious, with live music entertainment and food stalls to boot. Runs from 12:00 till late.
Ending off the month is a look atthings to come at the SouthYeaster’s Spring Fest.Hosted near Stellenbosch byWild Clover Brewery on Saturday,24 September, this homebrewing club’s events are alwaysa pleasure. The beers on show are unconstrained, creative and sometimes ground breaking.Previous years have seen the likes of excellent chilli beers and beers made with seawater (now commercial atZebonkey). Who knows what will be unearthed this year?
And there you have it. In September there are festivals galore and plenty more. If you can’t make it to any of the September beer festivals in South Africa, fear not.
CraftBru’s growing list of SA Craft Breweriesshows craft breweriesdotted around the country. There is usually at least one brewery within striking distance. Check out the CraftBru Brewery Map to find your nearest one.
Are you a festival organiser?Let us know about your festival for a free basic listing, or an amped upExpanded Festival Listing.