The Cape Town Carnival
Firefighters and police officers in the parade, dancing, costumes, songs, fairies on roller skates and tuned-up cars. Free, and once a year.
On 21 March we caught the Cape Town Carnival, and it was really cool.
In short
What it is
The carnival takes place once a year on the Fan Walk boulevard in Green Point. In 2026 it fell on 21 March, Human Rights Day in South Africa, and the theme was “Follow Your heART”, about freedom of self-expression. Watching is free; you only pay if you want a seat in the grandstand. We simply stood along the road.
What we saw
A great deal of interesting stuff. I liked that people of different professions marched in the parade: firefighters, police officers. And in general there was a lot of creativity: dancing, costumes, songs.
I also really liked that the participants were all kinds of people: of different ages, with different body shapes. No body-shaming at all: everyone who wants to takes part, and everyone feels free.
What I remember most are the fairies on roller skates. And there were tuned-up cars too.
After the carnival we went to our favourite burger place, Hudsons: more about it in the article about places.
If you’re in Cape Town in March, definitely go. The next carnival is on 20 March 2027.
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