Music
Maynardville Open-Air Festival
The Maynardville Open-Air Festival celebrates 70 years of Shakespeare in the park with another lovely collection of music, theatre and dance productions under the stars. The al fresco Twelfth Night is set to a sultry jazz soundtrack that echoes the sounds of 1960s Rome, while a jazz-infused classical chamber music performance takes on Claude Bolling’s Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio, alongside virtuosic works for marimba and flute. Cape Town Opera presents Gershwin in the Park, a one-night-only celebration of the golden age of American music performed by some exceptional voices, including the award-winning Cape Town Opera Chorus.
Other productions include Jazz in the Park, featuring an ensemble of local jazz musicians; the Charl du Plessis Trio; and the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, with a programme featuring Gershwin, Joplin, Shaw, and Ellington, among others. Cape Ballet Africa, under Maina Gielgud’s artistic direction, will perform Giselle.
Dates: 13 January - 7 March
Venue: Maynardville Open-Air Theatre, Wynberg, Cape Town
Tickets: From R254
maynardville.co.za / quicket.co.za
Organ Recital | The Mind & The Machine
A pioneer of contemporary organ music, Franz Danksagmüller, performs baroque masterpieces by Buxtehude, Scheidt, Byrd and Bach as well as his own innovative compositions. Part of the Joburg International Mozart Festival 2026.
Date: 24 January
Venue: St George’s Anglican Church, Parktown, Joburg
Tickets: From R230
Viennese New Year Concert
The Phoenix Orchestra, under the direction of Richard Cock, presents an evening of Viennese waltzes, polkas and melodies by the Strauss family and their contemporaries. Part of the Joburg International Mozart Festival 2026.
Date: 25 January
Venue: Linder Auditorium, Joburg
Tickets: From R250
Wandering Minstrels | Indian Classical Music & Dance
Renowned kathak dancer Manesh Maharaj and vocalist Kerolin Govender journey through the history of Indian classical music and dance, tracing the evolution of these timeless art forms from palace courts and temple courtyards to the modern stage. Part of the Joburg International Mozart Festival 2026.
Date: 31 January
Venue: Villa Arcadia, Parktown, Joburg
Tickets: From R220
Calum Scott | The Avenoir Tour
British singer and songwriter Calum Scott returns to SA for his biggest tour to date, which included a run of UK and European shows across 24 cities in 2025.
14 January: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cape Town
16 January: Durban ICC, Durban
17 January: SunBet Arena, Pretoria
Tickets: From R495
Art
Don’t miss:
- Sam Nhlengethwa’s “All Blues” exhibition at Goodman Gallery New York from 15 January to 19 February
- Hannah Macfarlane and Amber Alcock’s “Try a Little Tenderness” & Aimee Lindeque’s “Do You Know the Place?” shows at AVA, Cape Town, until 15 January
- Brett Murray’s “Wild Life” exhibition at the Norval Foundation until 22 November
- Gary Stephens’ solo exhibition at Everard Read Stellenbosch from 17 January to 8 February
- Banele Khoza’s “I was always within and without” show at Goodman Gallery London from 29 January to 4 April
- “Intersections: Bill Ainslie and the Johannesburg Art Foundation” at WAM, Joburg
Film
The Galileo Open Air Cinema
Picnic under the stars, with the stars. The Galileo Open Air Cinema experience takes place at venues across the Western Cape, including Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, various wine farms and Battery Park at the V&A Waterfront. Included in this month’s lineup are such modern classics as Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Ocean’s Eleven, The Notebook, Chocolat and Spirited Away.
Dates: Until May
Venues: Across the Western Cape
Tickets: From R155
thegalileo.co.za/webtickets.co.za
Opera
Andrea Chénier | Giordano
In another Met Opera production, Piotr Beczała gives voice to Giordano’s poet, who falls foul of a hardliner during France’s Reign of Terror. Sonya Yoncheva is his aristocratic lover, and Igor Golovatenko is the agent who seals their fates.
Dates: 4 & 6 January
Venues: Cinema Nouveau and select Ster-Kinekor cinemas
Theatre
Marabi
Musical-theatre classic Marabi returns to the Market Theatre to launch the theatre’s year-long 50th anniversary celebrations. Set in the Doornfontein yards of the 1930s, it tells the story of an ordinary family of migrants, exploring their loves and losses. Directed by Arthur Molepo (who was part of the original cast) and produced by Mpho Molepo.
Dates: 29 January - 15 February
Venue: Market Theatre, Joburg
Tickets: R140-R275
