Egg-ceptional Things to Do over the Easter Weekend in Cape Town
Whether you’re on the lookout for egg hunts for the kids, searching for places offering Sunday buffets for the whole family or simply trying to find a sick jol, check out our overview of great things to do in Cape Town over the Easter Weekend (Friday, 25 to Monday, 28 March 2016).
And, if you’ve been tasked with tabling a traditional Easter feast, have a gander at two of our favourite recipes for the occasion: Easter pickled fish and Easter hot cross buns.
A TRADITIONAL EASTER SUNDAY CARVERY AT PARK IN BY RADISSON CAPE TOWN FORESHORE
Served in the beautifully decorated, laid-back RBG Bar & Grill, this traditional Easter Sunday carvery is a must for anybody with a penchant for exceptional cuisine and good company. The meal consists of three-courses, including a plated starter, carvery and dessert spread. While the adults are relaxing, the kids can enjoy an egg hunt with the Easter bunny.
COST: All these treats cost R250p/p for adults and R125 for children under 12. Lunch is served from 12:30pm until 2:30pm on Sunday, 27 March, and the egg hunt is at 2pm. Phone +27(0)21 427 4800 or email info.capetown@rezidorparkinn.com.
CHOCOLATE FUN & GAMES AT THE V&A WATERFRONT
This school holiday, grab your wee ones and take them to the Waterfront from Monday, 21 to Wednesday, 30 March 2016 to enjoy a feast of fabulous activities. The See-Saw-Do workshops are all about encouraging an ‘open facilitation’ approach to nurture problem-solving and creativity in kids. This year’s theme is recycling, so the activities will have an additional green spin. From Monday, 21 to Wednesday, 23 March at Quay Side Square, the workshops will focus on interactive play and kids will craft their own toys from recycled goods. In the second workshop series from Monday, 28, to Wednesday, 30 March, children will build and explore a cardboard city to foster imaginative play. The Bard will also be popping into the V&A this Easter, as part of the Shakespeare School Festival. Honouring 400 years since the literary great’s death, there’ll be costume parades from Monday, 21, to Wednesday, 23 March from 3:30pm until 6pm, starting at the Watershed. There’ll also be various sunset concerts and performances in the amphitheatre with renditions of some of the master’s greatest plays. Lastly, what’s Easter without chocolate? Lindt will be at the Victoria Wharf Shopping Centre to perform two daily demonstrations of how to create delicious desserts. These will be held from 11am to 12pm and 2:30pm until 3:30pm from Tuesday, 22 until Sunday, 27 March 2016, in front of H&M. Expect plenty of melt-in-your-mouth free samples, along with a special Pick & Mix chocolate pop-up station.
COST: Many of these events are free unless stated otherwise on the Waterfront’s site. For more information, email info@waterfront.co.za or phone +27(0)21 408 7600.
LOURENSFORD EASTER SUNDAY MARKET
On 27 March from ten until three, Lourensford is the place to be! Creep through the gardens and see if you can find Easter eggs of every delicious kind. The Easter bunny might show face but don’t worry, it’s not a race. All the kiddies will get some treats in the form of three marshmallow eats. There’ll also be face painting, a jumping castle and slide, so plenty of places for a bunny to hide.
COST: The hunts run at 10am, 11am, 12pm and 1pm, and the cost is R20 per hunter. Please note, only kids up to 10 years old can take part.
LINDT CHOCOLATE STUDIO EASTER KIDS CLASS (19 & 26 MAR)
Allow your young ones’ imaginations to soar at the Cape Quarter-based Lindt Chocolate Studio’s Easter kids’ classes on Saturday, 19, and Saturday, 26 March 2016. The very intimate workshops call on mini-Michelangelos to mould their own official Lindt Gold Bunny, after which they’ll artistically create and decorate a delicious chocolate garden, all made from the finest quality Lindt of course!
COST: The classes cost R200p/p and last for one hour. Space is very limited, so don’t delay in booking (email cptstudio@lindt.com).
EASTER SUNDAY BUFFET LUNCH AT THE TWELVE APOSTLES HOTEL AND SPA (27 MAR)
Wine and dine overlooking the Atlantic Ocean this Easter Sunday (27 March) at the Mother City’s premier seaside resort, The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa. Hosted at the elegant Azure Restaurant, the special lunch features an egg-citing buffet spread with all the trimmings, plus live music to set the mood. What’s more, while parents relax after the feast, the little ones will be kept entertained with an exciting Easter egg hunt and the search for chocolate-y treats.
COST: The Sunday lunch costs R R455p/p for adults and R235p/p for kids under 12 years of age. Booking for this is essential, and reservations can be made by contactingrestaurants@12apostles.co.za.
EVERYBUNNY IS INVITED TO SPIER FOR A FAMILY WEEKEND (25 – 27 MAR)
Spier is celebrating Easter with myriad events suited to grown up rabbits and baby bunnies too!
On Good Friday (25 March), the exquisite Eight Restaurant will deliver a sumptuous seasonally-inspired feast coupled with an array of Easter treats and seafood delights. There’ll also be a delish dinner at Spier Hotel Restaurant, featuring a scrumptious salad selection (because rabbits need their greens) and various mains such as caper and lemon-butter baked line fish, roast chicken and leek pie and Farmer Angus beef roast with Spier Shiraz and Madagascan pepper sauce.
On Saturday, 26 March, the Easter Werf Market will kick off with plenty of Easter treats and entertainment. From top-notch food and drinks to awesome activities to keep kiddies occupied, this is a family-friendly affair in a beautiful setting. Little ones can enjoy a jumping castle, Easter egg hunt, themed farm games, workshops, a kids’ entrepreneurial market and more. For grown-ups, there’ll be pop-up workshops such as ice cream making, cooking classes and more. That eve, there’ll also be a screening of Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel under the starry night sky.
On Easter Sunday (27 March), the Spier Hotel Restaurant will have a special spitbraai with a whole Karoo lamb as the star of the spit, which will be accompanied by various salads and sides. The Werf Market will extend to the Sunday as well, and there’ll also be a Sunday family lunch at the Old Wine Cellar. This lunch will feature a smorgasbord of eats, such as hot cross buns with pates and cheeses, pickled hake with sultanas, roast orange and marjoram chicken and double chocolate brownies with strawberry compote. Alternatively, head to Eight for a selection of platters featuring food grown either at Spier or sourced from farms nearby.
COST: These events are individually priced so consult the Spier.co.za website to find out the costs – they tend to range from R140p/p to R300p/p. To book, email aldrinel@spier.co.za oreight@spier.co.zafor Eight Restaurant reservations. Alternatively, call +27(0)21 809 1100.
GET SUCKED INTO THE EASTER VORTEX (26 – 28 MAR)
Slip into the whirlpool and celebrate Easter at the epic annual Vortex: Parallel Universe trance party from Saturday, 26 to Monday, 28 March 2016 (YES, Monday is a public holiday!). This year, the four-day outdoor jol celebrates its 22nd birthday with a killer jam at the magical Hillside venue near Caledon. As in the past, the shindig promises to deliver revelers an opskop jam-packed with stomp-tastic beats and sick grooves (click through to the event for more information on the line-up).
COST: Tickets are available online via Quicket.co.za at R420p/p (excludes booking fee)or at selected retail outlets at R400p/p (includes booking fee). Tickets will also be sold at the gate on the day at R450p/p – this price will drop as the festival progresses. Remember to bring old clothes and shoes to partake in the playing-it-forward charity initiative.
CITY BOWL NIGHT MARKET (24 MAR)
A popular weekly affair on the Cape Town events calendar, the Thursday evening City Bowl Market is a particularly festive way to end the short week and mark the start of the long Easter weekend. Housed in an old hall in Hope Street in Gardens, the community bazaar features 30 different food stalls where guests can pick up homemade eats for dinner, and there are a number of vendors selling craft beer, artisan wine and Champagne too – all good fuels for getting the holiday celebrations going. What’s more, visitors can enjoy the sweet sounds of live music while browsing and bantering with friends. The market opens at 4:30pm and closes at 8:30pm, early enough for you to get ample sleep before you head off on any planned travels the next day.
COST: Entry to the City Bowl Market is free; drink and food prices vary.
STAND-UP SHOWS AT THE CAPE TOWN COMEDY CLUB (23 – 27 MAR)
If you’re eager to fill the Easter holiday weekend with a good dose of mirth, why not take in a hilarious stand-up show at the Mother City’s leading laughter destination, the Cape Town Comedy Club (formerly known as Jou Ma Se Comedy Club)? Based at The Pumphouse at the V&A Waterfront, this 180-seater venue, which is owned by famed local funnyman Kurt Schoonraad, serves up giggles five nights a week over the Easter period, with Happy Hour from 6pm until 7pm and one hour after the show. Oh, and there’s R10 tequila all night, every night for thirsty party bunnies. KG will be the headline act, supported by Mel Jones as MC, with Westley Cockrell and Darren Amos.
COST: Tickets for the shows cost R120p/p and can be bought online via Computicket.com or at any Computicket outlet. Shows start at 8:30pm, but we recommend getting there earlier to eat dinner beforehand.
MAKE YOUR OWN BUNNY EARS WITH CAPEGATE (14 – 28 MAR)
Grab your baby bunnies and take them to Centre Court from Friday, 18 until Monday 28 March 2016, to make their very own one-of-a-kind ears at the Capegate Shopping Centre. From 10am until 7pm (5pm on Sundays), your little darlings can have fun with arts and crafts for free! On 26 and 27 March, the Easter Bunny will make a special appearance that’s sure to bring a smile to your kid’s dial. There’s also the Checkers’ Easter Village where there’ll be all the chocolate eggs you can eat at the Checkers Court from Monday, 14 until Monday, 28 March, from 9am -7pm (5pm on Sundays).
COST: Entrance is free, although there may be additional costs for some individual events.
HOP ON OVER TO THE GRANDE ROCHE HOTEL (27 MAR)
The beautiful Bosmans Restaurant at the enchanting Grande Roche Hotel will be hosting a delectable, family-friendly brunch on Easter Sunday, 27 March 2016. Let your kiddies bounce to their heart’s content on the jumping castle or dive into the pretty swimming pool, while you wine and dine at an establishment named as one of the top ten restaurants in South Africa. Additionally named as one of the top 100 restaurants in the world, Bosmans is all about exquisite, fresh flavours and a friendly, inviting ambience.
COST: Tickets cost R320p/p for adults and R160p/p for children under 11. Bookings can be made by emailing Christine@granderoche.co.za or phone +27(0)21 863 5100.
EASTER SUNDAY MENU AT DORNIER BODEGA (27 MAR)
Celebrate Easter Sunday in Stellenbosch with scrumptious gourmet dishes, fine vintages and beautiful mountain views at Dornier Bodega Restaurant. The Cape Winelands eatery – it eloquently marries first-class vino with honest fare – has designed a mouth-watering three-course menu especially for the occasion; the offering tantalises the taste buds with starters like a flavoursome charcuterie platter and deep fried brie, mains such as sticky ribs and roast beef with onion jus, and desserts like chocolate mousse and carrot cake (the Easter bunny’s two favourite foods). The standard kiddies’ menu is also available for children.
COST: The three-course meal costs R395p/p. Booking is essential, so contact the restaurant on +27 (0) 21 880 0557. Do note that any dietary needs must be specified upon booking.
LINDT GOLDEN BUNNY GARDENS AT CAVENDISH SQUARE (19 – 21 MAR)
Imagine an enchanted garden where glittering gold bunnies and other sweet treats hide amidst the flowers, and girls and boys are invited to skip around and fill their baskets with an assortment chocolate delights. This childhood dream becomes a reality at Cavendish this Easter, from Saturday, 19 until Monday, 21 March 2016 (Human Right’s Day). Little ones are invited to visit Col’Cacchio Court from 9am until 7pm on Saturday and Monday, and from 9am until 5pm on Sunday – entrance is free!
COST: This is a free event; for more information visit Lindt.com.
EASTER AT BOSCHENDAL ESTATE (25 – 28 MAR)
One of our prettiest and most popular wine estates Boschendal is hosting an Easter celebration with a series of events over the long weekend. On Sunday, 27 March 2016, gather your wee ones, friends and family and head to the estate’s gorgeous grounds for fun and games on the Werf picnic lawn. Parents are invited to lie back on the lawns and tuck into a scrumptious picnic for two, whilst their kids partake in a number of activities bound to make their little eyes light up, including pony rides, egg painting and an Easter egg hunt. Executive chef Christiaan Campbell will additionally be presenting a delectable three-course menu, with a shared starter, main course and dessert expertly concocted from fresh produce from the farm. The whole weekend, the Rhone Homestead will be serving delectable Easter-themed buffets at 12pm, with freshly baked hot cross buns and gifts on offer from the Farm Shop & Deli.
COST: Bookings are essential. The picnic for two for adults costs R360p/p and starts at 12pm, while the kids’ picnics are R150p/p, which includes the egg hunt and pony rides. Guests are invited to bring their own tables, chairs and blankets. The three-course meal is R450p/p and begins at 12pm. The Rhone Homestead buffet is R295p/p, and commences at 12pm throughout the weekend. To book any of these activities, email reservations@boschendal.co.za or phone +27(0)21 870 4274.
PICNIC TIME AT ANTHONIJ RUPERT WYNE (27 MAR)
Run away to Anthonij Rupert for a deliciously relaxing day in the Franschhoek valley. With an Easter picnic scheduled for Sunday, 27 March, guests are invited to gather in the Tasting room at 12pm to collect their gourmet treats. Following that, perky picnickers can sprawl on the lawns whilst unpacking their basket of delights, which includes melt-in-your-mouth ingredients like cheeses, cured meats, pates, crusty bread, fresh salads and a chocolate egg or two. There’ll be lawn games for the little ones, and plenty of wine available for purchase for the older ones. The tram will be arriving at 2pm to take guests to the Franschhoek Motor Museum as an optional extra for car-curious guests.
COST: Book fast because this event is selling out quickly! Picnic baskets are R480 (feeds two to three people), while kiddies’ picnic packs are R60p/p (for children under 10). Bookings can be made via Webtickets.co.za or phone +27(0)21 874 9041.
EASTER MARKET AT THE LANGEBAAN TOWN HALL
If you’re looking to buy somebunny special a gorgeous Easter gift or just a little something, then why not head up the West Coast to this super-duper family market? Held in the Langebaan Town Hall, the fair offers an array of handmade gifts and arts and crafts, with approximately 70 stalls for guests to browse. Plus, you have the added bonus of getting to explore the quaint coastal town en-route.
COST: Entry is free and there will be parking available. For more info, email liffm@mailbox.co.za.
EASTER SPECTACULAR AT THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL CIRCUS SCHOOL (25 – 28 MAR)
Celebrate the holiday at the circus, with the actual Easter bunny! Also in attendance, Dimitri Slaverse, the former world trapeze champion will be on hand to delight the crowds with his artistry. For the children, there will be an Easter egg hunt, with lots of yummy eggs to go searching for in and around the circus. SAN Circus will donate 5% of all profits from this show to the Theo Truter Autistic-ally Auwsome fund. Help out this worthy cause by having a ball at the circus this holiday.
COST: Tickets are limited, so book them soon. Available via Computicket, tickets are R110 per adult, and R70 per child (aged 3-17).
EASTER HOPPINESS AT HAZENDAL (27 MAR)
Take five this long weekend, with a relaxing visit to the gorgeous Hazendal estate, where you’ll be warmly welcomed with a wine cocktail and some freshly baked farm bread and hummus. Following that, change into your fat pants and get ready for a seriously scrumptious Easter Sunday three-course feast, which starts with a choice between pancetta wrapped asparagus with hollandaise or prawn bisque with focaccia. For mains, you can either indulge in the oven roasted lamb shank with saffron mash and thyme jus or opt for the pan-fried line fish with a beurre blanc sauce, potato rosti, wild mushrooms and sundried tomatoes. For dessert, let your taste buds be tantalised by triple chocolate mousse cake, followed by coffee and a chocolate truffle. Aside from all the foodie indulgences, there’ll also be an Easter egg hunt for the little ones so parents can enjoy some down time sipping wines and watching their kiddies frolic in the pretty surrounds.
COST: The Sunday menu costs R320p/p, and bookings can be made by emailinginfo@hazendal.co.za or phoning +27(0)21 903 5034.
HUNTING EGGS AT LA PETITE FERME (27 MAR)
It’s hunting season at La Petite Ferme, which will be hosting an egg-citing egg rally hunt for kids, which will have them scurrying around the gorgeous grounds and quaint cellar in the hop(e) of uncovering some chocolate-y goodness. They’re also sure to ooh and ah at the site of the giant Easter egg centre piece – a sugar-loving little one’s dream! While the kids play, parents can indulge in delicious dishes from the à la carte menu between 12pm and 3:30pm at the chic restaurant, or, for something different, taste tapas from around the world from the tapas menu. If you want to explore the scenic surrounds of Franschhoek, why not stay in one of the lovely, luxury accommodation options at the farm?
COST: Cost depends on what’s ordered. To make a reservation for the restaurant phone +27(0)21 876 3016 or email restaurant@lapetiteferme.co.za. To book accommodation, email accommodation@lapetiteferme.co.za.
FAMILY FUN AT WEBERSBURG (27 MAR)
Webersburg Wine Estate will be hosting a series of fun Easter festivities on Sunday, 27 March, including a delicious three-course lunch prepared by executive chef Nadia Roux. If dishes like slow roasted pork belly and scotch quail eggs appeal to your palate, then you should book without delay. Alternatively, opt to tuck into a gourmet picnic whilst soaking up the sunshine in the estate’s pristine gardens. Kiddies can bounce on the jumping castle, hunt for Easter eggs, hug the Easter bunny and feed the ducks, while parents lay back, sample wines and listen to live entertainment. There’s also plenty of five-star accommodation on-site, should you choose to extend your day into a weekend visit.
COST: The three-course lunch is R380p/p, while the pre-booked picnics are R450 for two people sharing, and include a bottle of wine; you can also get a kiddies’ picnic option for R80 per child. Accommodation is R1900 per suite per night, which includes breakfast. To book phone +27(0)21 881 3636 or email info@webersburg.co.za.
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