2017 Wartburger Spring Festival

Nestled just outside Pietermaritzburg, lies a quaint town of Wartburg, having passed there a few times, you might miss it if you blink but many don't know about this little wonder and the history it holds. When I tell people about it, many respond, "what burg?", so here's a quick history lesson for you. The town was settled in the 1850's by German families, and is named after the Wartburg Castles in Eisenach, Germany. To this day, the Wartburg area has had a large population of German speaking citizens who predominantly farm in the surrounding area around town. Okay, enough with the lessons, time to focus on the main reason of this post, the Festival! In it's second year running, the Wartburg Spring Festival is getting ready to host the masses coming in to enjoy all things German.  The event will build on the long-standing traditions of the Wartburg Lutheran Church Bazaar, one of the most anticipated events on the town's calendar with its sale of processed German meats, advents biscuits and other fresh produce. 

This year the festival sees Orion Group's Wartbuger Hof Hotel joining in to host a fun family event in collaboration with the Wartburg Lutheran Church. The bigger and better festival will see stall holders and exhibitors from as far as Cape Town showcasing their artisanal items to the public. Some of the stallholders and craftsmen, include the top KwaZulu-Natal craft brewers, including Lion's River Brewery and Railroad Brewey. Nadia Gmeiner and Antoinette Kleyn, the event organisers, said that they were ecstatic to be involved in such an event. "The town of Wartburg is a beautiful gem and our hotel, the Wartburger Hof, owes a lot of its success and support to the people of this town. For us to be a part of the festivities and the camaraderie among the brilliant townsfolk is such an honor for us and we hope to increase the support and numbers to this years event."

The Wartburger Spring Festival promises to  delight the young and old alike. There will be a number of stalls which range from arts and crafts to artisanal food and beverages including traditional German cuisine that is sure to delight even the most discerning palette. The even will take place on Saturday, 21 October 2017, on the grounds of the Wartburger Hof Hotel. It is a nice excuse for many to explore the countryside and will be a great outing for the entire family. For those wanting to host a stall at the Festival, please contact Nadia Gmeiner on 011-718 6416 or email beerfest@wartburghotel.co.za. For more information, please visit www,wartburghotel.co.za or follow the event on Facebook. To buy tickets to the Festival, they are available online at NuTickets

SA on Tap - Craft Food & Music Festival

It's probably one of the best and by far my favourite Craft Beer festival around and it's back this weekend in Durban! It is the biggest festival of it's kind with over 200 different brews, ciders, gins and more featured this year, there is plenty on offer to quench any thirst in the Durban hot sun. Organisers say that this event is built around the people who attend and they want you there this weekend! With over 90% of the tickets sold already, their call has been answered. It's a great outing for friends and families with much on offer. There will be a stage with some great local talent to entertain the masses, Majozi and Shortstraw just to name a few. There will also be a selection of gourmet street food stalls for you to chose from. 

Participating breweries for the event are many of the KZN local brewers, namely Nottingham Road, Zwakala, That Brewing Co, Mag Giant, Sxollie Cider, Growler, Drifter, Clarens, Smack Republic, Copperlake, Eversnos Cider, Standeaven, Time Anchor Distillery, Mainstram, Robsons, Two Okes, Scvenger Brewery, Basset, Great Railroad, Durban Brewing Co, Toti Brewing Co, Clockworx, Dragon Brewing Co, Distillery 031, Poison City and a variety of wine. Apart from featuring their normal range, there will be 32 Festival speciality brews so be sure to inquire about them on the day. 

This years festival see's it return to the Kings Park outer fields this Saturday the 12th of August, with gates opening at 11am for a day long fun filled time where visitors can enjoy a selction of bews, a gin garndem, lots of games and live entertainment. People attending are encouraged to bring picnic blankets, camping chairs and beach umbrellas. For those bringing children, there will be dedicated child minding areas. Tickets can be bought online via the website and a selction of glasses to chose from. Some of which are already soldout, tickets are R130 online or R150 on the day, on the day tickets are subject to availability. 

Peacanwood Oktoberfest 2016

Beer fest's come and beer fest's go but majority of them are generally the same apart from one. What makes the Peacanwood Oktoberfest so great that about from a vast variety of beers for guest to enjoy the festival offers so much more that it's better known as a sport and lifestyle festival. Boasting visitors from around the country, Peaconwood Oktoberfest had over 6000 visitors at last years event and expect the crowds to be even larger this year. It has been voted SA's number one Sport and Lifestyle festival and KZN's biggest beer fest by far. 

Set in the tranquil KZN Midlands, just an hour outside Durban and 15 minutes outside Pietermaritzberg, Peacanwood offers it's visitors a unique getaway.  Taking place between 29-30 October, this years  theme being #chooseyouradventure the festival offers a wide array of outdoor activities featuring some extreme and popular sports of which include a 7/14KM trail run, 4x4 technical challenge, Enduro X, and the extremely popular MTB trails. 

Organizers have went out of their way to ensure that the mountain bike race is more of an experience to the participant. With carefully designed courses for all skill sets, the race can be done by race snakes as well as the weekend warrior. The variety of courses include single tracks, valleys, forests and escarpments set int he breath taking surroundings of the KZN Midlands each with their own unique challenges for both the novice and experienced rider.

For those runners who are tired of the same old trails, they need not worry as organisers have spent the last year designing and setting trail run courses that wil be that one course that sticks out heads above the rest for its originality, diversity and un spoilt routes as some of its trails have never been run before. 

Moving onto the main attraction of the festival, the beer! Holding the title as KZN's biggest beer fest, the festival has a lot to live up to and this year the Peaconwood Oktoberfest boast a vast selection of beers from around the country, along with Wine and Coffee Tasting Tent which features coffees from around the world. And to add to the excitement, the Oktoberfest girls will be on duty to make sure your glass never stays empty for too long.  

The #chooseyouradventure them continues with fans choosing which of SA's top bands they would like to see perform at the festival. This years acts as voted by the the public include, Francois Van Coke, Short Straw, Crash Car Burn, Gus Brown, Chico Muyo, Ryan Stylz, Rowan Stuart and many more. This will be Short Straws and Francois van Cokes last performance in KZN for 2016. 

Thinking of making the Peaconwood Oktoberfest a weekend away? Why not? You can bring your own tent and camp for free or book a place in the tended camps on offer from Tent Nation. Past visitors to the festival know why it's one of the most attended festivals in the country and which see's people from every province making their way to KZN for it. For the first timers, you will soon find out what makes this one so special. Early bird tickets are available for sale now from their website: www.peaconwoodoktoberfest.com

We will be running a competition in the coming weeks for you to win tickets to the Peaconwood Oktoberfest Sports and Lifestyle Festival so be sure to stay tuned to win!

SA on Tap 2016

In what is becoming my favourite beer festival to attend, SA on Tap is back in Durbs at the end of the month and personally I cannot wait! Nothing beats a day out with friends or family, basking in the lovely Durban Winter (although it could warm up of late), enjoying some of the best craft beer that the country offers, listening to the sounds of great local talent and eating some gourmet grub. If last years event is anything to go by then you not going to want to miss this years as it features even more variety, more bands and more food!

It is South Africa's biggest Craft Brew festival and it's all going down at Peoples Park in Durban on the 30th of July 2016. Tickets are on sale from their website and people attending are in for a treat. Over a 180 brews, ciders, craft spirits and wines will be available, so if beer aint your thing, there's always alternatives. When booking online you will get a choice of glass, there are three to choose from, the Trumpet, the Bavarian and the Prime. All unique and collectors items. 

All craft beverages are price regulated and are R25.00 for 400ml. Some of the brewers that you can find there are Copperlake, Jack Black, Nottingham Road, Basset, Dragon, Robsons, That Brewing Co, Devils Peak, Standeaven, Devil's Peak. Some of the wine producers are, Anthonij Rupert, The Ground and Brampton. What's drinking without some quality food? you can look forward to some of the best gourmet food stalls at SA on Tap this year, with Sumting Fresh, Vetkoek Cafe, Maddison Bakery, Wicked Waffles, Roti & Chai and many others at the festival this year, 

This is the best that South African brewers have to offer, so whether you are a home brewer keen to learn from experience brewers or just appreciate truly South African brews, this is the place you need to be. There will be plenty of seating and cover all weather, live Super Rugby on screens throughout the festival area and dedicated child minding areas within the festival. Some of the live entertainment includes, Bad Peter, Jaryd Smith, Majozi and Gangs of Ballet. 

Tickets as said before are available online for R125 and you get the option to choose your glass, tickets depending on availability will be sold at the door for R150. Gates open at 10am and the festival ends at 6pm. Tickets include entry to the festival, limited edition unique festival glass, access to the live music, the brew appreciation course tickets are sold seperately. 

Those important bits again:

Date: 30 July 2016

Time: 10:00 till 18:00

Venue: Peoples Park, Durban

Price: R125 for booking online, R150 at the gate
Website: www.saontap.co.za
Twitter: @SAonTAP
Facebook: SAonTAP