Government’s announcement that outdoor venues may now accommodate 50% of its capacity has been met with a reduction of ticket prices for the South African Cheese Festival, which will be held at various venues in the Cape in the coming months.
The popular festival is innovating this year by popping up over two weekends at two different destinations on the West Coast and in the Winelands – on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 April at Groote Post outside Darling, and Saturday 30 April, Sunday 1 and Monday 2 May at Sandringham outside Stellenbosch. Tickets cost R290 per person per day. The festival times are from 10:00 to 18:00.
Johan Ehlers, CEO of the festival organisers Agri-Expo, guests can expect the same unique experience of quality that the cheese festival has become known for over two decades. “Everyone knows Sandringham Estate as the home of the SA Cheese Festival,” he related, “while Groote Post offers an exceptional opportunity to come and enjoy country hospitality on the amazing Pentz family’s historic 18th century farm.”
An entrance ticket buys festival goers a whole feast of pop-up experiences, including the unique experience of tasting and buying a variety of cheeses, a curated collection of award-winning wines, craft beers and gin along with a stemless wine glass, an array of new products before they appear on store shelves, and the Standard Bank Travel & Taste experience hosted by well-known celebrity chefs and wine connoisseurs Tiaan Langenegger, Isabella Niehaus, Lukas Wentzel and Jenny Morris. Cheese entrepreneurs will introduce their unique handmade cheeses, the Cape Made: Taste the Alternatives presenting products fresh from the farm such as olives, tapenades, berries, mushrooms, and even buchu water and hydroponic herbs, artisanal makers sharing tasting experiences, the popular Ladismith Cheese Carving Competition and the Agri Feeds Milk Factory featuring friendly pedigreed cows and goats.
As for entertainment, festival goers can look forward to live music from The Hollard Band Stand, with top artists such as Die Heuwels Fantasties, Francois van Coke, Watershed, Ard Matthews, Kurt Darren, Flat Stanley and Will Linley set to perform. Tickets are available online at Webtickets (bit.ly/sacheesefest-popuppicnics) or from Pick n Pay stores. No tickets will be sold at the gates. A Covid-19-access policy of proof of vaccination or a negative test result will apply. Visit www.cheesefestival.co.za or contact Agri-Expo at 021 975 4440 or admin@agriexpo.co.za.
