Event Dates
From: Tuesday, December 1, 2026
To: Friday, January 1, 2027
Cape Town at Christmas is warm, bright and busy with Markets dotted across the city, and Winelands and De Waterkant become a summer hub for gay travelers.
Cape Town at Christmas is warm, bright and busy with Markets dotted across the city, and Winelands and De Waterkant become a summer hub for gay travelers.
- Stay at The Grey Hotel (De Waterkant) gay-base, a small design hotel with rooftop pool and bar in the heart of the gay village, an 8-10 minute walk from the Waterfront and a short ride to Clifton beaches. Rated Excellent by visitors.
Christmas in Cape Town
- Next Edition: Tuesday 1st December 2026 to Friday 1st January, 2027 – Cape Town flips the northern-hemisphere script at Christmas.
- The city is in full summer mode, with long evenings on the Atlantic, crowded gay beaches and New Year fireworks over the harbour.
- Gay nightlife centred in De Waterkant is busy right through to New Year, and Clifton 3rd Beach is packed with international gay visitors.
- The city is the perfect base for easy day trips to country estates with festive markets and picnics.
- Cape Town is the perfect Summer city break with beaches and wine.
Buddies Night Out – Christmas Edition
- Awaiting dates – Typically Saturday in late December – Buddies Night Out in Cape Town is a Pop-up Party held throughout the year.
- The LGBT event takes over Constitution Road, District and Harringtons.
- It is one of the most popular gay events in Cape Town.
V&A Waterfront & Watershed Christmas Market
- Next Edition: 1st December 2026 to 1st January 2027 – The V&A runs a complete festive programme through December, with a massive tree on the amphitheatre square.
- Enjoy late-night shopping, live music and roaming performers across the precinct.
- The Watershed Hall concentrates more than 150 local design stalls under one roof.
- Browse African crafts, fashion and décor – steps from harbour views with easy Uber hops to De Waterkant and the gay bars.
Festive Lights
- Next Edition: Awaiting dates for the switch-on ceremony.
- Adderley Street Festive Lights: Large overhead light displays run the length of Adderley Street and continue through the festive season.
- Franschhoek and Stellenbosch decorate their main streets and market squares, giving evenings a warm glow.
South Market Christmas Gift & Craft Market – Constantia
- Next Edition: Awaiting dates, typically mid December to before Christmas Eve
- Pop-up craft and gift market at the Cape Academy in leafy Constantia.
- With indoor and tented stalls, free entry and a family-friendly, suburban feel.
- Set about 20 kilometres south of the Cape Town CBD, it’s the perfect way to pair a trip to the Constantia wine farms.
- Enjoy an out-of-town escape at the Nova Constantia Boutique Residence, a luxurious villa-style stay in Constantia with gardens and a pool, handy for South Market and Constantia wine estates, around 20-25 minutes from the city.
Franschhoek Village Christmas Market – Franschhoek
- Next Edition: 14th and 15th December, 2026 – Two-day Christmas market under oak trees in the old church gardens.
- Enjoy wine, gourmet food and craft stalls right in Franschhoek village.
- Combine wine-tram tastings by day with market browsing and dinner.
- Tip: Franschhoek Wine Tram offers hop-on loops to multiple estates, so you can frame it as a safe way to taste, shop and see decorations without driving.
- Stay close to the market at the Franschhoek Boutique Hotel, rated “Excellent” by guests with mountain-view rooms just a short walk from the market grounds and wine-tram stop.
Boschendal Wine & Christmas Market
- Next Edition: Awaiting dates – Boschendal Wine & Christmas Market
- A beautiful one-day event with tasting coupons, live music, food trucks and stalls in the estate’s historic farm setting.
- Skeppend Kersmark & other Winelands markets – Paarl / Stellenbosch
- Awaiting dates: Keppend Kersmark, Paarl – creative Christmas market, mixing design, food and gifts in the Winelands.
- Awaiting dates: Stellenbosch Kersmark – art-heavy Christmas market with some great gift options.
Cape Town Weather at Christmas
- December falls during South Africa’s Summer. Expect daytime highs around 22-29°C and nights in the mid-teens.
- Rain is low – roughly 20-22mm across only 6-7 days – and sunshine hours are high.
- Sea temperature averages 17-19°C; the Atlantic feels brisk but swimmable once you’re in.
- December is peak: traffic, queues, crowded beaches and the infamous south-easterly wind (“Cape Doctor”), especially on exposed coastlines.
- Pack light summer gear, a warm layer for windier evenings and serious SPF.
Gay beaches
- Clifton 3rd Beach – Main gay Beach, in a cove below the road with big granite boulders and a tight strip of sand.
- It is the daily meetup spot for gay visitors in summer; arrive early, especially between Christmas and New Year.
- Sandy Bay – Clothing-optional, more remote and with a historic cruising reputation.
- Reached via a short hike from the parking area south of Llandudno.
- Tip: Avoid beaches on 24th-26th December unless you embrace crowds; go very early or pick quieter coves or push your big beach days into early January when locals go home.
- Watch the wind forecast: the south-easter can make exposed spots like Camps Bay quite gusty, but leave Clifton more sheltered.
De Waterkant Gay Village
- Think of De Waterkant as your gay village, with Bree Street and the City Bowl as spillover for mixed nightlife.
- A grid of cobbled streets above the Waterfront, De Waterkant is packed with cafes, restaurants and bars.
- New Year’s week feels like a mini-festival, with De Waterkant bars running summer-themed nights.
- Club details often appear late on Instagram rather than long in advance.
- De Waterkant to V&A Waterfront – 5-10 minutes by Uber or a 15-minute walk, so easy to combine Watershed shopping with barhopping.
- Check out our guide to the best gay bars, restaurants and hotels in Cape Town.
Gay Cape Town on New Year’s Eve
- V&A Waterfront NYE Celebration – Free, precinct-wide party on Thursday 31st December 2026, 6 pm-1 am, with multiple stages, live bands and fireworks at midnight over the harbour.
- Most gay travellers start with sunset drinks at Clifton or on the Sea Point promenade, then dinner in De Waterkant or Bree Street.
- Later, people head to the bars and club nights in De Waterkant.
- Crew Bar – Go-go dancers, pumping pop and house, and a clear LGBT crowd, reopened and is busy again.
- Zer021 Social – Mixed-but-queer bar often named on Reddit as the top pick to meet gay locals; strong urban playlist and themed nights.
- Cafe Manhattan – The oldest gay restaurant and bar in Cape Town with an outside terrace, shows and DJs.
Recommended Hotels in Cape Town
Here are the hotels we recommend that have good reviews and keep you close to all the action,
The Capital Mirage, The Westin Cape Town, DysArt Boutique Hotel The Cape Royale
DeWaterkant, is next to the gay bars
Book now and pay on arrival.
The Glenn Hotel in Cape Town’s Seapoint
Stylish, great pool and gay operated.
For further information and advice on
Cape Town Gay Christmas Instagram
Most of the gay bars are located in the De Waterkant area, surrounded by some lovely restaurants and only a short walk to the shopping streets, we have chosen some hotels and apartment that keep you in the hard of all the action.
Address: Quay, 6 W Quay Rd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town
Address: Convention Square, Lower Long St, Cape Town City Centre
Address: 40 Chiappini St, De Waterkant, Cape Town, 8001
Address: Moorings 5 & Portswood Ridge, 5 Portswood Rd
Address: 10 Hospital Street Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Address: 32 Prestwich StreetCape Town, 8001, South Africa
Address: 23 Jarvis StreetGreen Point, Cape Town, 8051
Address: 137 Waterkant StreetCape Town, 8001,South Africa
Address: Victoria Rd, Clifton, Cape Town, 8005, South Africa
Address: Fulham Rd, Camps Bay, Cape Town, 8005, South Africa
Address: 84 Camps Bay Dr, Camps Bay, Cape Town, 8040
Address: 23 Geneva Dr, Camps Bay, Cape Town, 8040, South Africa
Address: 74 Waterkant Street,Cape Town, 8001,South Africa
Address: 120 Strand St, De Waterkant, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Address: 55 Prestwich St, De Waterkant, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Address: 46 Canterbury St, District Six, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa
Address: 12 Cobern St, De Waterkant, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Address: 299 Lower Main Rd, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa
Address: 123 Lower Main Rd, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925
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We have chosen hotels in Cape Town that keep you close to all the shops,restaurants & bars
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