Montagu Makiti

Each year during the spring month of September the town of Montagu host a Family Heritage Festival called the Montagu Makiti. The festival is alive with live music, shows, a carnival, local food and wine, history and culture as well as the two-day Montagu Dried Fruit & Nuts Golf Day.

From Friday through to late Sunday there is so much to see and do that the town will be buzzing. Large numbers of visitors are expected, many accommodation establishments are already fully booked, and some restaurants are laying on special entertainment for the weekend. The festival is a culmination of months of planning and hard work, largely on the part of Debbie Nel of Avalon Springs, and Helen Gooderson of the RAD Foundation. It has so many elements to it that the head spins in contemplation of the organising involved. A number of charities will benefit by selling Makiti Cans. These are the entrance tickets to the various festival activities. The more they sell, the more they get.

There is so much to expect including a sort of travelling road show. Cape Town experts from the company Stephen Weltz, will be in attendance at the Montagu Country Hotel on Friday afternoon. For a minimal fee (by appointment) people can have an expert opinion on pieces of art, bric a brac, even furniture. There are theatrical performances at the Montagu Junior School Hall. It is a show format that has proved very popular. Local personalities will be on stage for various and hilarious skits. Friday evening the performance is aimed at adults but the next day the show will be on again with different content for family viewing. Meanwhile, on Friday afternoon, and probably well into the night, things will be hectic at the Kaap Agri yard, where floats will be busy being assembled for the Saturday morning carnival. Yes, carnival. The word Makiti means jollification, and the carnival parade through town should be the very essence of that, with costumed dancers, bands, drum majorettes and even some famous people, dead and alive, turning up in the shape of life sized carnival puppets made by pupils of Montagu High School. The parade starts at 10:00 at Kaap Agri, and makes its way through town to end at the rugby field, but that is far from the end of that. The field will also be alive with entertainment. There will be Jukskei, Rugby and Heritage Sports events as well as a Pikkie Potjie competition to fill up the afternoon.

At Avalon Springs and Montagu Springs big things will be happening too. From Friday afternoon to Monday there will be live music. The Avalon Car Park will be a giant tent arena for pretty much non-stop entertainment. There will be stalls, puppet shows and much much more. In the gardens next door at Montagu Springs, local artists will be showing off their work. From the Springs end of town there will be a shuttle trailer service to Cabrieres a few kilometres away. Cabrieres is the venue for LOVE OLIVE PITSTOP, more music, wine tasting and a Showcase of Langeberg product stalls.

The Makiti Can will be your festival ticket packed with goodies such as the festival programme, product samples, sticker, a Makiti Bandanna, discount vouchers and spot prizes. The Can is available from Winelands SPCA, Montagu Tourism Office and Country hotel(in aid of Breede River Hospice).

On Saturday and Sunday Montagu Dried Fruit are sponsoring two days of golf with fabulous prizes at the Montagu Club. Golfers from all over the Western Cape are expected, and if you have a handicap, this is not to be missed.

And for those of you who just want to experience a bit more of Montagu there are also Heritage Walks and Historical buildings throughout town as well as natural heritage sites, places like Nature Garden, Forts, Lovers Walk, Kanonkop and more. There is also the Montagu Museum Visit and Tee en Melktert (Tea and Milk Tart) at Joubert House, the Home of the famous indigenous herb project and the Montagu Village Market.

The 2013 Montagu Makiti is set to take place in the Western Cape town of Montagu from 20 - 23 September

For more information and future dates please contact:
Debbie Nel
Tel: +27-23-6141150
Cell: +27-82-8850456