Active adventure

The Vodacom Durban July, the greatest racing, fashion and entertainment extravaganza on the African continent, takes place at Greyville Racecourse. Television has brought great sporting events right into the living rooms of homes around the world but there is still no substitute for being right there, in the middle of things to experience the sights, the sounds and, above all, the adrenaline rush that comes with live action. The Vodacom Durban July is probably one of the oldest horseracing events in the country. The first race was run in 1897 and was contested over 1.6km, and ever since then it has become an event not to be missed in South Africa. This event calls for celebrities, socialites and the elite to show off their outfits, their bets and their social skills. The excitement of Vodacom Durban July surpasses that of any other event on the African continent, with huge crowds expected on course and millions of others around the country taking serious bets or having their annual flutter.

The world for the young hearted! Oppikoppi has become the perfect pre-festive “groove”. Do you love live music? Do you love awesome people? Do you love camping? If you do, head over to South Africa’s largest music festival in the Limpopo province and you’ll get a healthy dose of all three! For over 20 years, this gathering of South Africa’s music elite has become an essential pilgrimage for music lovers across the country, now rocking the socks off over 20 000 festival goers. With over 100 live acts, multiple stages and some big international headliners, the festival continues to grow year on year. Oppikoppi started in 1994, making it one of the oldest weekend events in SA.

Every year, the sleepy Western Cape village of Darling comes alive – not just with vibrant blooming daisies, but with one of South Africa’s most glamorous music festivals. Rocking the Daisies is an entirely different approach to the music festival space that encourages attendees to live an eco- friendly lifestyle. It is the biggest outdoor camping music festival in South Africa. Annually there are approximately 250 acts and 11 stages, which incorporate music, comedy, art and film. Promising a massive party and incredible big-name acts, this famed music fest is set to put a spring in your step. The party takes place at the Cloof Wine Estate in Darling every October, when thousands of tents are laid out next to large tracts of farmland that play host to giant stages, all of them filled with the best local and international music guests that the organisers can muster, resulting in a line-up that never fails to excite the crowd. The town of Darling itself comes alive with the influx of festival-goers during this “three-day weekend” in October. 

The Nedbank Golf Challenge is annual event held at Sun City, where golf enthusiasts get to get watch the beautiful game. It attracts a number of international and local golfers who all play for the championship title. The golf course at the Gary Player Country Club, since its opening in 1979, has been acknowledged as South Africa’s premier championship test of golf. The home of the Nedbank Golf Challenge since 1981, the immaculately groomed layout has received rave reviews from the world’s top golfers, who agree that it is both demanding and fair. This course has been consistently rated as the best in South Africa, and compares with the best in the world.