Peak of the Whale Season.

Whale festival starts 30 September and ends 4 October
Hermanus Sailing Season Opens
Great White Shark Cage diving season is slowing down

FESTIVALS:

Hermanus Wildflower Festival: aka The flower and Ecco Fair
A Festival is a time of celebration and a concentrated series of plays, concerts, and shows. Such a festival is held regularly in a coastal town and that town is Hermanus and the time is September.

It is that marvelous period of year when Hermanus entice both locals and visitors to participate in our famous Whale Festival and also in our equally acclaimed Wildflower Festival. . You can view the whales while walking, botanise while they breach!

Where else in the world can you do all this other than in Hermanus? These two Festivals may appear to appeal to very different tastes but be assured that the Wildflower Festival is not only for the botanists and lovers of gardens; there is much much more for you all to enjoy.

First of all, it is SPRING and this means that our beautiful Fernkloof Nature Reserve, this jewel of Hermanus which nestles in the mountains above Hermanus and comprises 1800 hectares of pristine mountain and coastal fynbos, is in its full glory.

You will be astounded and delighted by the beauty that will surround you as you wander round the gardens and walk in the Nature Reserve. In the Fernkloof Hall you will be greeted by a breathtaking array of fynbos arrangements and the theme this year is appropriately ‘150 Years of Hermanus’.

No more will be said – you have to come and see for yourselves.

Not only will there be these spectacular arrangements to marvel at, there will also be 100s of individually labelled specimens of fynbos plants which have been carefully picked over a wide area by our skilled local botanists.

One of them will be on duty at all times to answer any questions that you may have; you will recognise them by the labels they wear.

Look out for our very own Erica aristata, Pride of Hermanus, found only on the mountains between Hawston and Stanford; Protea angustata, a very rare protea which occurs in only a few localities, including Hermanus; Mimetes palustris which only grows on the mountain slopes of Hermanus; Sonderothamnus speciosus, again only found on the Klein River mountains.
These are just a few to whet the appetite.

If you want to buy floral arrangements, we can supply those too as a team of ladies will be hard at work in the marquee and what a momento to take home with you.

In the Fernkloof gardens we have a series of 11 very varied and interesting mini indigenous gardens that have been specially created for the Show and on Sunday afternoon they will be selling their plants so make a real effort to come and buy then.

We are very proud of our ongoing Walks-on-Wheels project which is now well under way so that those in wheelchairs, the disabled and mothers with babies in prams are also able to relax and enjoy the beauty of our gardens.

But there is much more still to see and enjoy at our Wildflower Festival. Our ‘Big Top’ is back again this year by popular demand; it is bigger and better than ever and its theme is A Collection of Beautiful Things.

Why don’t you buy your Christmas presents from us this year? They will be different and they will be special. There are a whole bevy of different stands with masses of exciting things to see and buy, there are wonderful homemade ‘goodies’ that are always so much in demand, there is even a special Treasure Hunt with a difference to delight the younger ones.

Come and see and be prepared to dig deep into your pockets! Last, but most certainly not least, there is the FOOD, those delicious, delectable and divine teas and lunches that we are famed for; our ladies have been cooking up a storm and it is worth coming all this way and braving all that traffic just to sample what they have on offer. Relax in our lovely gardens, breathe in that wonderful air.

Come and see, come and spend and come and eat at the Hermanus Wildflower Festival.

Whales and Wheels Classic Car Show: Car enthusiasts of all ages are invited to the Hermanus Primary School on 27 September 2010 to attend the show that was started in 2002 at the Old Station site building.

The show has grown from a mere 66 classic cars to 297 vintage models in 2007. Last year saw 15 classic motorcycles, 29 veteran tractors, 12 veteran stationery engines and 46 new vehicles by eight motor dealers at the school grounds.

The show is gaining the reputation country-wide as the biggest and best country show of its kind in the Western Cape and received coverage in a well known magazine in England in 2007.

Their vision is to market the show as a real motor festival that could become a showcase for the motor industry in the fastest growing town in the Western Cape, Hermanus, says organiser Danie Loubser.

Car aficionados can look forward to celebrations of well-known makes, demonstrations of military vehicles and Armour ex World War II and many more. Besides the annual show in the school hall of model cars by the Cape Model and Toy Club and local collectors, an additional show of model trains running on their own railway lines will be on show by the Overberg Modular Train Club.

Hermanus Whale Festival: The whale festival starts on the 30th of September and ends on the 4th of October. The only Enviro-Arts festival in South Africa, is held annually to celebrate the return of the Southern Right whales to the waters of Walker Bay, our magnificent environment and the arrival of Spring! The focus will once again be on our wonderful environment, with a strong emphasis on marine life and protection.

Come face to face with Wally the whale and his ocean buddies. Educational displays for little festinos and well known guest speakers are just a few of the highlights!

Hermanus, known as the best land based whale watching destination in the world, plays host to thousands of visitors who flock to the seaside resort to exhilarate in the unique natural environment, watch whales, join in the world’s only Welcome Whales Wave and revel in music, comedy, cabaret and African rhythms every night during the Festival.

The whales are always the star performers at the Festival and will be joined on land by musicians, crafters, sports celebrities and thousands of people celebrating spring in the most beautiful place on earth, Hermanus.