1860 Heritage Center in Derban Center Held Food Festival

Heritage Month offers an opportunity to look deeper than just the beaches, mountains, and culinary scene of Cape Town by immersing oneself in the histories that have shaped this city. Cape Town's museums showcase the most diverse facets of the city: from fictional to unexpectedly fascinating, and some are suitable for family outings.

If you plan to explore the history and culture of Cape Town in September, these museums should be included in your list of visits.

Iziko South African Museum

Visiting the Iziko South African Museum gives you a chance to journey through millions of years of South African history without leaving the Company Gardens. The museum's collections cover the natural world, archaeology, and human history, including exhibits ranging from fossils and ancient artifacts to marine specimens and displays of human evolution.

The museum's location allows for easy combination with other attractions in central Cape Town. You can spend the morning at the museum and then head to the Company Gardens or continue exploring other cultural sites in the city.

Address: 25 Queen Victoria Street, Gardens.

Zeitz MOCAA

The Zeitz MOCAA focuses on contemporary African creativity and the discussions taking place on the continent and among its diaspora. The museum occupies a historic grain silo complex at the V&A Waterfront, making the building itself part of the exhibition. Inside the gallery, modern works from various countries, artists, and perspectives are presented.

This is a good choice if you want your Heritage Month outing to consider Africa's present and future alongside its past.

Address: Silo District, V&A Waterfront.

District Six Museum

To understand the more recent history of Cape Town, one can start with the District Six Museum, which offers an intimate space. The museum focuses on the experiences of people who lived in District Six before forced removals during the apartheid era changed the area. Personal stories and historical materials help visitors grasp the community that existed there and the consequences of its destruction.

This museum is more focused on listening to memories associated with a place that remains an important part of Cape Town's identity, rather than simply viewing exhibits.

Address: 25A Buitenkant Street, Cape Town CBD.

Heart of Cape Town Museum

Cape Town made a medical breakthrough in December 1967 when Dr. Christian Barnard and his team performed the world's first successful human heart transplant at Groote Schuur Hospital. The Heart of Cape Town Museum preserves the story of this remarkable moment, giving visitors insight into the medical team, the operation itself, and the hospital setting where it took place.

For those interested in science, medicine, or unusual chapters of Cape Town's history, this museum offers a completely different experience compared to the city's artistic and historical collections.

Address: Groote Schuur Hospital, Observatory.

Cape Town Diamond Museum

The history and economy of South Africa have long been closely linked to diamonds, and the Cape Town Diamond Museum provides a brief introduction to this topic. Located at the V&A Waterfront, the museum traces the diamond's journey from its underground origin through mining and the processes of transforming rough stones into polished gems. Exhibitions also include replicas of some of the world's most famous diamonds, including Cullinan.

This is a light addition to a Waterfront route if you want to fit in some history during a day of sightseeing.

Address: The Clock Tower, V&A Waterfront.

Cape Town's museums vividly demonstrate the city's multilayered nature. One visit can take you from prehistoric fossils to contemporary African art, while another can introduce you to personal stories related to apartheid-era displacement or a medical breakthrough that garnered international attention. This Heritage Month, replace your usual trip through Cape Town with a museum visit—perhaps you will leave with an understanding of a completely different side of the Mother City.

As part of Heritage Month, the open exhibition 'Cape Rhythm: Goema, Klopse & Memory' took place. It launched on September 5, 2026, at Company Gardens and is part of the Cape Town Photography Festival.

The Cape Town Photography Festival resumed its activities for the second time under the theme 'Truth'. It brings together 40 exhibitions and over 160 photographers who present their work in various locations across the city from September 2 to 26.

Among the main events of the festival is 'Cape Rhythm: Goema, Klopse & Memory'. This open exhibition at Company Gardens showcases photographs from the archive of filmmaker and photographer Melanie Ismail. The exhibition is dedicated to how goema, or Kaapse Klopse, and photography shape the cultural identity and memories of Cape Town.

Festival Director Heidi Erdman noted that although photography was long considered reliable evidence, images today are easily manipulated, reinterpreted, and used as weapons. She emphasized that the goal of the festival is not to find absolute truth, but to study how truths are created, contested, and resisted, and what role photography plays in this process.

The exhibition 'Cape Rhythm: Goema, Klopse & Memory', which opened at Company Gardens on the weekend of September 5, explores Goema and Kaapse Klopse as a living expression of identity and memory. The collection of images is taken from the archive of Cape Town filmmaker and photographer Melanie Ismail, offering a contemporary view of the syncretic soundscape.

The modernity of goema is manifested in its sonic component, which is accompanied by the music 'Boskasie' during this exhibition. Melanie Ismail calls on viewers to become more attentive observers, asking questions about who created the image, how it was made, what it shows, what might be missing, and what claims it makes, instead of simply questioning the trustworthiness of photographs.

Since its first showing, the festival has doubled its scale, presenting 40 exhibitions, over 160 photographers, and a month-long program including lectures, demonstrations, film screenings, talks, and tours. This year, new venues include Good Hope Castle and Company Gardens. Other highlights of the festival include the exhibition 'I Witnessed This' at the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation, curated by Pippa Hetherington, which gathers diverse photographic voices from across the African continent; as well as international perspectives from Réunion Island, presenting Cape Town audiences with photo narratives from the Indian Ocean.

September promises music, gastronomy, culture, and sports in KwaZulu-Natal, offering a packed schedule of events covering areas from Durban to Richards Bay and the South Coast.

As Heritage Month begins, KwaZulu-Natal is preparing to be an entertainment hub, with festivals, live performances, theatrical productions, sporting events, and family activities taking place across the province.

Whether you are looking for a weekend out with friends, celebrating Heritage Day, or something for the whole family, there are plenty of options in the calendar.

From September 4th to 6th, the Durban Street Food Festival will take place at the Pavilion Shopping Centre. This festival promises a combination of street food, live performances, participation from local and national artists, family activities, and food vendors. Organizers describe the 2026 edition as a three-day celebration featuring African and Indian cuisine, as well as Asian street food and gourmet snacks.

The 'Shimza and Friends' event will take place on September 5th from 3:00 PM to 2:00 AM at the Durban Exhibition Centre. Additionally, Liquideep in the Park will be held at Chris Sonder's Park in Umhlanga from 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM, offering a Sunday of outdoor music.

For active recreation enthusiasts, the WOA iQembu Cycle Challenge is scheduled for September 6th. The race starts at 7:00 AM, with the route running along the M4 highway. The start and finish area is located near the Kings Park swimming pool and Moses Mabhida Stadium.

The cultural event 'Shall We Dance' will take place at the Opera Playhouse in Durban, offering accessible cultural entertainment.

Heritage Day will be one of the busiest days on the KwaZulu-Natal events calendar, as concerts, festivals, and international sporting competitions will take place across the province.

Music lovers can celebrate Heritage Day at the Durban Botanic Gardens, where Sjava, Simmy, and Q Twins will perform. Gates open at 1:00 PM, and the event will take place in the garden lake area.

For cricket fans, there is another major celebration option: a match between South Africa and Australia in the first ODI series at the Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium in Durban. Cricket South Africa has scheduled this match for September 24th at 10:00 AM.

In Richards Bay, the Dolosfees festival will take place over the Heritage Day weekend from September 24th to 26th. The festival will feature artists such as Prime Circle, Die Heuwels Fantasties, Fatman, Tino, ANGUS, and Saxby Twins, alongside cultural performances, fairs, beauty pageants, artistic activities, and children's entertainment.

In Durban, at Berea Rovers, the Shisanyama Heritage Festival will take place on September 26th, featuring Kelvin Momo. The event will start at 12:00 PM.

For maskandi enthusiasts, one can travel to the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal for the sixth annual Ugu Maskandi Festival at the Ugu Sports and Recreation Centre. The festival gates open at 12:00 PM, with performances starting at 2:00 PM. Scheduled performers include Sjava, Mafikizolo, Mbuzeni, Ntencane, Phuzekhemisi, and Mjolisi.

Families can conclude the month by participating in the Scottburgh Mall Family Trail Run on September 27th. Registration begins at 7:00 AM, with races scheduled for 8:00 AM and 8:30 AM.

The September calendar in KwaZulu-Natal offers numerous ways to spend the month, from gastronomic and musical events to theatrical performances, maskandi, international cricket, and outdoor activities. Since many major events fall on Heritage Day, September promises to be particularly eventful for entertainment across the province.