10 Heritage Day things to do in Cape Town this year

Cape Town knows how to throw a party for its own story. Heritage Day rolls into the city with braai smoke curling over back gardens, drumbeats bouncing off Bo-Kaap's colourful walls and museums swinging their doors open wide. Here are 10 ways to spend 24 September like a true Capetonian. 1. Free entry and live art at Zeitz MOCAA Zeitz MOCAA opens for free on Heritage Day, with guided tours, art-making sessions, live performances and food from the Makers Landing stalls. Location: Zeitz MOCAA, V&A Waterfront Zeitz MOCAA, V&A Waterfront Times: 10am to 5:30pm, Thursday 24 September 2. Traditional dance and live music at Norval Foundation Norval Foundation hosts a full day of South African art, with Khayelitsha group Usapho Creatives leading a choir set, dance routines and a live marimba performance. Location: Norval Foundation, 4 Steenberg Road, Tokai Norval Foundation, 4 Steenberg Road, Tokai Times: 10am to 4pm, Thursday 24 September 3. WOMAD's free Heritage Day finale at the V&A Waterfront WOMAD South Africa closes its festival with a free cross-cultural performance led by Spanish percussionist Pepe Zapata alongside local drummers and musicians. Location: V&A Waterfront Amphitheatre V&A Waterfront Amphitheatre Times: Thursday 24 September 4. Mojo Market's Heritage Day Street Fest in Sea Point Mojo Market turns Regent Road into a block party with 20-plus live acts, including Vusi Mahlasela, Zolani Mahola and Jimmy Nevis, plus food stalls and thrift bars. Location: Mojo Market, 30 Regent Road, Sea Point Mojo Market, 30 Regent Road, Sea Point Times: 12pm to 11pm, Thursday 24 September 5. Groote Schuur High School's Heritage Music Festival Groote Schuur High kicks off Heritage Month early with a music festival featuring Emo Adams. Location : Groote Schuur High School : Groote Schuur High School Date | Times: Saturday 19 September | 12pm to 8pm 6. A free Bo-Kaap walking tour The Bo-Kaap walking tour runs 365 days a year, including public holidays, covering the neighbourhood's Cape Malay history and architecture. Location: Departs from Motherland Coffee, St George's Mall 7. Walk through District Six Museum The District Six Museum documents the forced removals that emptied the once-vibrant Cape Town suburb during apartheid, told through photographs, recordings and personal artefacts. 8. Trace the Cape's slave history at Iziko Slave Lodge One of the oldest buildings in South Africa, the Slave Lodge on Adderley Street traces the history of enslaved people brought to the Cape. 9. Take in the fynbos at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden Kirstenbosch showcases the Cape's indigenous plant heritage against the backdrop of Table Mountain, with year-round walking trails and the Boomslang canopy walkway. 10. Ferry across to Robben Island Museum The UNESCO World Heritage Site tells the story of the political prisoners held there, including Nelson Mandela, with ferries departing from the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V&A Waterfront. However you choose to spend it, Heritage Day in Cape Town is proof that this city holds its past and its party spirit in the same hand. Pick a museum, pick a mountain, pick a mic drop of a street fest and give the day the gees it deserves. Which one is topping your list this year? Be the first to know – Join our WhatsApp Channel for content worth tapping into! Click here to join! Also read: Picture: Iziko Museums of South Africa / Facebook