Good Morning, locals

Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, and the Winelands is taking it seriously. There’s a silent disco among Morgenhof’s barrels, a trick-or-treat trail at Lourensford, and, for the costume-shy, a very civilised Pinotage tasting.

It’s also Garden Town’s final weekend, and summer Fridays are officially back (hello, Simomo Sundowners). Wednesday is a public holiday for the local elections, so we’ve put everything you need to know about voting in one place.

Friday hits 30°. Sunscreen on, let’s get to it!

🌸 Garden Town’s final weekend: Rustenberg’s manor gardens (Family + Community) and the Sunset Bottelary Hills Hike (below) are the two we promised you last week. The free Garden Show & Market at the Town Hall runs until Sat.

Beginners’ Still-Life Painting
📅 Sat 31 Oct | 10:00-14:00 📍 Oude Leeskamer, Dorp Street, Stellenbosch
Never held a brush? Perfect. Ron Sauerman and Anna van Pletsen take you from simple shapes to a finished still life you take home. 🎟 R800 incl. materials | Email Clara

The Living Cape at Asara
📅 Opens Sun 1 Nov | Runs for 12 months 📍 Asara Wine Estate & Hotel, Stellenbosch
Forty-five artists explore the Western Cape through land, ocean, memory and renewal. There’s no rush, but it pairs very nicely with lunch on the estate. 🎟 More here

Roan Ash at Lourensford
📅 Sun 1 Nov | 18:00-22:00 📍 Lourensford Wine Estate, Somerset West
The Nashville-based country-blues man is home for a show on the lawns, with the Helderberg behind him. Bring a blanket or camp chair. No outside food or drink. 🎟 Here

For the little ones: Lourensford’s Halloween trail is made for them, Perdeberg brings rides and jumping castles, and under-12s get into Chris Steyn free.

Halloween Bash at Lourensford Market
📅 Fri 30 Oct | 17:00-22:00 📍 Lourensford Market, Somerset West
Kids find the Lorax and follow the trick-or-treat trail, then everyone has dinner and live music while they run riot. There’s a best-dressed prize, and it’s worth bringing a backup sweet bag. 🎟 Free | More here

Chris Steyn at Simonsvlei
📅 Fri 30 Oct | Doors 16:00, show 19:00 📍 Simonsvlei Winery, Paarl
Claim a spot on the lawn with a picnic, or book a table at KCB Taproom or Tuga Portuguesa, then settle in for an evening of Afrikaans singalongs. 🎟 R220, under-12s free | Get tickets

Rustenberg & Schoongezicht Open Garden
📅 Fri 30 Oct - Sun 1 Nov | 09:00-16:30 📍 Rustenberg Wines, Stellenbosch
One weekend only, under the Simonsberg: a sunken garden, a natural pond, a huge veggie garden and stairways that keep leading somewhere new. Plants are for sale too. 🎟 R50 for both gardens | Enquiries: 082 442 1721

Perdeberg Family Festival
📅 Sat 31 Oct | 10:00-16:00 📍 Perdeberg Cellar, Windmeul, Paarl
The kids get rides, jumping castles and face painting, and you get 10 tastings. VIP is sold out. Keen? Run the Vines is on the same farm that morning. 🎟 R199, designated drivers R125, kids R85 | Book here

Vergelegen Garden Walk
📅 Fri 30 Oct - Sun 1 Nov | 08:30-11:00 📍 Vergelegen Wine Estate, Somerset West
Start with coffee and a scone at Firehorse. Then horticulturist Richard Arm walks you through one of the Cape’s great gardens at its late-spring best. 🎟 R250 incl. entry and breakfast | Book here or 021 847 2111

Pilates & Breakfast at Du Vin
📅 Sun 1 Nov | 09:00 sharp 📍 Du Vin, Kanu Wine Farm, Stellenbosch
Pilates among the vines for all levels, then breakfast. Bring a mat or towel, and don’t be late. 🎟 R250 | Email to book

Wednesday Summer Run at Blaauwklippen
📅 Wed 4 Nov | Arrive 17:45, start 18:00 📍 Blaauwklippen Wine Estate, Stellenbosch
Voted? Run it off. Choose a 2.5km pram-friendly route, or a 4km or 8km loop through the vineyards, then pizza and live music at The Farmhouse. No pets. 🎟 Free, RSVP | RSVP here

Summer Fridays are back: Simonsig’s Simomo Sundowners and Klein Alto’s Sunset Rouge evenings both launch on Fri 30 Oct.

Garden Table Dinner at Lounah
📅 Thu 29 Oct | Doors 18:00 📍 Lounah Café, Paarl
One long table under bistro lights, three courses of shared plates and Allée Bleue wines. Frits from the estate tells the story behind each pour. 🎟 R625pp | Book here

Opera & Wine with Summer Carne
📅 Fri 30 Oct | Doors 18:00, show 19:00 📍 Lievland Café, Stellenbosch
A Berlin-based mezzo-soprano comes home for one night of live opera, four Lievland wines and antipasti platters. 🎟 R500pp | Book a table

Flagstone Food & Wine Pop-Up
📅 Fri 30 - Sat 31 Oct | 12:00-15:00 📍 Flagstone Tasting Room, Somerset West
Chefs Mark and Mo take over the tasting room. Think aubergine kuku with halloumi, chorizo-prawn cakes with rose harissa yoghurt, and spiced ostrich. Have one plate and a glass, or stay all afternoon. 🎟 Dishes from R90 | Email to book

Pinotage Saturday at Dekkersvlei
📅 Sat 31 Oct | 11:00-17:00 📍 Dekkersvlei Vineyards, Paarl
Taste five Pinotages, from bubbly to the world’s first White Pinotage to a mocha-toned Coffee Pinotage. There’s pizza, cheeseboards and a playground for the kids. 🎟 R150 | Book here

Garden to Table Lunch at Lanzerac
📅 Sun 1 Nov | 12:00-15:00 📍 The Manor Kitchen, Lanzerac, Stellenbosch
This is the last of Lanzerac’s spring lunches: four seasonal courses, starting with a Six Dogs Gin welcome cocktail. Our kind of Sunday. 🎟 R590pp | Email to book

Wednesday is voting day (and a public holiday). The Local Government Elections are on Wed 4 Nov, and voting stations are open 07:00-21:00. In the Winelands you’ll get three ballots: one for your ward councillor, one for your local council and one for the Cape Winelands District Council. Bring your green ID book, smart ID card or temporary ID certificate. You can only vote in the ward where you’re registered. Special votes take place on Mon 2 and Tue 3 Nov. Check where you vote

The Franschhoek Pass could reopen for the festive season. It would open under controlled conditions while the R1.2 billion upgrade carries on, so expect some restrictions. Read more

1,200 a month. That’s roughly how many development applications Stellenbosch Municipality receives, according to mayor Jeremy Fasser. He shared the figure at a Woordfees panel on the Adam Tas Corridor, the project that will shape how the town grows. Read more

A good cause for the festive season. The Franschhoek Literary Festival’s School Reading Programme keeps libraries going at four local primary schools, and it hopes to reach more as funding allows. Read more

🧑🏽‍🍳 Restaurant Week’s final weekend (until Sun 1 Nov). Three we haven’t shared yet:

Match day, sorted: Stonewall is showing the Springboks vs Italy on Sat 7 Nov. R200 gets you a burger or pizza and a carafe of red. Book here

Last call for picnics: Hazendal’s spring picnics end Sat 31 Oct. They’re R395pp, and you need to book 24 hours ahead. Book here

Summer has arrived! Thursday is sunny and 29°, and Friday is the scorcher at 30°. Saturday starts cloudy and clears to 27° by the afternoon. Sunday cools to 23° under cloud, Monday reaches 24°, and Tuesday and voting Wednesday both hit 26°. Rain? Barely a whisper all week, with a steady south-westerly breeze.

☀️ Best days: Thu to Sat. Sunday is made for a long lunch.

Presented by

The best De Zalze homes are often sold before anyone knows they’re on the market. Ask Estelle what she’s quietly got on her books. 📞 063 795 7028

La Motte’s Sustainable Hike loops out of the tasting room through vineyards and fynbos. You pass rare fan aloes, each one GPS-marked, and a trail camera that has caught leopards on the mountain. Allow two to three hours, then finish with a glass of Vin de Joie Rosé in the lapa.

Guided hikes start at 08:00, and the trail isn’t suitable for under-10s. Book here

Long, light evenings, a picnic blanket on the lawn and a pile of small people? Sounds like movie night to us. Moms Guide To has rounded up 20 family-friendly Halloween films that are more cosy than creepy. Pair the film with a spooky snack board: load it up with popcorn, pretzels and fruit, then make chocolate-covered strawberry witch’s brooms the star of the show. Push a pretzel stick into each strawberry for the handle, dip in melted chocolate, then drag a fork through it while it sets to make the bristles. They look far fancier than they are, and the kids can help. Wait for dark, blankets on, and let the little ones pick the first film. 👻

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