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Tulbagh Christmas in Winter

Christmas lights, glühwein, wine tasting & kids zone

Last updated: Friday, 14 June 2024

One weekend every winter (for the past 23 years), the streets of this small town are lined with Christmas lights; the tables laden with glühwein and traditional Christmas fare fit for a feast. There’s live music, bars and a kids zone, all surrounded by snow-capped mountains.

It’s Tulbagh Christmas in Winter, an annual highlight supported by KLM in 2024, and this year it's on from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 June.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT CHRISTMAS IN WINTER

The centre of this festival is the charming Church Street, which has the largest number of Cape Dutch, Edwardian and Victorian heritage sites in one street in South Africa.

Imagine it! Tractors wrapped in Christmas lights and tinsel, parading through the historic Church Street in the centre of town… This is how Tulbagh Christmas in Winter kicks off in 2024.

There’ll also be bars, artisanal food stands and live music.

In June and July, the Winterhoek mountains are usually covered in snow. Image: Tulbagh Tourism

HOP-OFF-HOP-ON WINE TOURS

Kids can play in a winter wonderland zone – decorated in all white with fake snow – filled with jumping castles, soft play for toddlers, human snowmen and mechanical pony rides.

There’s even hop-on-hop-off shuttles to some of Tulbagh’s best wine farms, like Lemberg Wine Estate (predominantly red wine, ideal for a Christmassy day), Montpellier du Tulbagh (one of Tulbagh’s most esteemed wineries; it’s over 300 years old) and Saronsberg Wine Estate (their Provenance shiraz is the best-selling shiraz in South Africa).

For more information on the weekend’s festivities, see the Tulbagh Christmas in Winter Facebook page.

Saronsberg Cellar is one of Tulbagh’s must-try wine farms (and it has a stunning view). Image: Saronsberg Cellar

YOU COULD STAY THE WEEKEND

Tulbagh is a 90-minute drive from Cape Town, so it’s not too far for a day trip.

But if you’d like to make a weekend of it, many of the bed and breakfasts are family friendly. The Bougainvillea B&B is great if you want to be close to the centre of town; and at Cape Dutch Quarters, you can stay in heritage houses from 1810 and 1813.

Most of the wine farms offer suites and guest houses too, if you’d like more luxurious accommodation. See more on the Tulbagh Tourism website.

Tulbagh is known for its stunning historic buildings and surrounding mountains. Image: @_dominic_taylor

SO MUCH TO EXPLORE IN THIS DORPIE

If you do stay the weekend, there’s so much to explore in Tulbagh. Daphne’s is a favourite with the locals (particularly for its french toast, which is served deep-fried with a cranberry sauce). Readers Restaurant offers hearty meals in the oldest house in Church Street, built in 1754.

And for activities, families will love Fynbos Guest Farm and Animal Sanctuary – it has over 150 animals like llamas, alpaca, zebra, and springbok. Entry for kids is just R30. Ceres Zipline Adventures is close by with the longest zipline tour in Africa.

There’s plenty to do in Tulbagh besides wine tasting, like olive and olive oil tasting at Oakhurst Olives. Image: @thewinegirlcapetown

FREE FOR KIDS UNDER EIGHT

There’s Friday tickets (R100), Saturday and Sunday tickets (R200) and weekend passes (R220).

It’s a great event for families, since kids under eight get in for free, and kids eight to 15 years old get a 25% ticket discount. You can book via Quicket.

WIN TWO TICKETS TO EUROPE WITH KLM

Tubagh Christmas in Winter is supported by KLM, who flies to South Africa all year long (not just in summer). They love supporting communities and this is a great way to connect a leading airline to local stories of success.

KLM is also giving away two tickets to Europe. All you have to do to stand a chance to win is to visit Tulbagh Christmas in Winter and enter an "amazing race". See more details via CapeTownMagazine.com's Instagram.

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