If music be the food of life for you, then you won’t want to leave it behind when you’re on holiday in Cape Town. The good news is you don’t have to. There are many ways that you can enjoy music in Cape Town, whether you are simply watching it, or making it yourself.

Go on a Jazz Safari

Jazz is an important musical influence in South Africa, and this is most certainly evident in Cape Town. Cape Jazz, a genre in itself, is particularly emotive of the indomitable spirit of the South Africans; a type of music that was formed by those living in townships many years ago, Cape Jazz mixes both African and Western influences, borrowing riffs from many other areas of the world to create an infectious and rhythmic beat. The Cape Town jazz safari takes place in the evening, and takes you right into the living room of one of several Cape Town jazz cats. You will dine and drink with either Mac McKensie, Hilton Schilder, Robbie Jansen or one of their contemporaries whilst you enjoy both their company and their virtuoso performances. You will then move onto the home of a second musician, and perhaps even a third for a similar experience, before heading into the city to experience a bit of live music in one of the popular jazz hotspots.

Open Air Drumming Workshops

These sessions do pretty much exactly what they say on the tin, allowing you to enjoy a drumming workshop, in the fresh, open air of Cape Town. However, the real bonus is that in this case “open air” really does mean outside, on the Victoria and Albert Waterfront. Traditional drums have a firm place in both South African history and culture, and learning to beat them properly is not only fascinating, but also a lot of fun. The Pumphouse and the Drum Cafe on the waterfront have teamed up to provide interactive drumming sessions, during which any collection of people provided with a drum each, can be turned into a harmonised and synchronised team of percussionists.

Concerts at Kirstenboch

If your time in Cape Town includes a sunny Sunday evening, then make sure you head to the Kirstenboch Gardens. Not only can you explore the plants and trees that are indigenous to South Africa, but you can do so to the backdrop of one of their wonderful open-air concerts. These concerts are informal and highly sociable, so bring along a picnic blanket and some food and enjoy the music. With a wonderful variety of performance pieces put on by an even larger variety of musicians, including the Jonny Cooper Orchestra, the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, and even Zebra and Giraffe, there is something for everyone to enjoy at these incredibly fun evening events. But be sure to turn up early if you want to find the perfect picnic spot, as space on the slopes of the gardens fills up quickly.

So, if the thought of a holiday without music makes you think twice about going, then Cape Town is the perfect destination for you. Not only can you hear some of the best performers South Africa has to offer, but you can learn about, and even take part in, local and traditional music that has been born out of Cape Town’s history.

Author Bio: Rachel Hill is a Southern Africa Travel specialist, a company specialising in luxury, tailor-made Cape Town holidays, as well as holidays to other destinations in Southern Africa. Our experienced consultants will help you design your very own luxury holiday, and will be happy to provide you with a free quote.

Category: Travel
Keywords: Cape Town