St Francis Tourism has organised the Calamari Festival for the past 8 years.
The timing of the festival was designed to coincide with the ever-popular annual Calamari Classic Golf and Bowls tournaments. In 2024, during the festival, St Francis Bay and Cape St Francis claimed the title of the Calamari Capital of South Africa and launched the Calamari Route.
The festival has taken many formats over the years, and the time has come for it to grow to the next level. To realise its full potential, the festival will now be privately managed by a consortium with strong local and national experience. This change is expected to benefit tourism and stimulate the local economy in a month that is typically quieter for the St Francis community.
This will not impact the Golf and Bowls Classics in any way, as these events carry a longstanding heritage and remain must-attend tournaments, with participants booking months in advance.
Hantie van der Westhuizen, Office Manager of St Francis Tourism, says the decision has their full support, “We are proud to endorse the handover of the Calamari Festival to experienced festival organisers. This supports the development of the village’s reputation as the Calamari Capital of South Africa and aligns with our objectives to
position St Francis as a must-visit destination. The festival adds another key element to attract tourism to our region, and together with the Calamari Route,
showcases our unique coastal identity and local industry in an authentic and engaging way.”
The proposed dates for the Calamari Festival are April 4 and 5, 2026, with the event running from 12:00 to 21:00 each day (Easter Weekend)
Why is it not happening this year and why only in April next year?
We asked Lloyd Cornwall, St Francis Bay resident and Founder of the DStv Delicious International Food & Music Festival and many other large-scale festivals, to explain.
“Weather always plays a role in determining the best time to host an outdoor event and our research, along with experience, shows that December and April are ideal.
With December being peak season, we felt that April offered the next best opportunity to ensure financial security and full attendance, which in turn benefits
the entire community,” says Cornwall. On the proposed format, Lloyd adds: “We are planning two days of world-class entertainment with a strong family focus, something for everyone and a platform
for the area to showcase what makes it so special. There is an enormous amount of planning that goes into an event of this nature. Therefore Easter 2026 has been
selected as the inaugural launch.”
When asked who and what to expect, he added: “It is still early days. We’re working on the site layout and entertainment schedule and once finalised we will appoint local suppliers and partners to participate.”
More can be seen on Lloyd’s experience by visiting https://massive.management/https://massive.management
All regulations and permissions required by Kouga Municipality are being followed; further details will be shared in due course.
Recent Comments