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Pearly Beach
Western Cape
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Stanford will burst into colour this September as its annual spring festival returns for two weeks of flowers, food, music, art, and local culture with the Klein River Cheese Demo Kitchen bringing a generous helping of flavour to the programme.
From 12 to 27 September, Stanford in Bloom returns for its third year, bringing together a programme designed to showcase the village and the people, producers and creatives who give it character.
At the centre of this year’s festival is Life After Fire, an extraordinary botanical display by landscape designer Leon Kluge. The installation, which won Gold and Best Exhibit in the Great Pavilion at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026, explores the remarkable ability of the Cape’s fynbos landscapes to regenerate after fire.
For visitors, the display offers an opportunity to see one of the Cape’s most distinctive natural stories interpreted through horticulture, while experiencing it in the landscape that inspired it.
Across the two-week festival, the village will host markets, live music, talks, creative workshops, and food experiences, turning Stanford into a destination for those looking to combine a weekend escape with a taste of the Overberg’s creative and culinary scene.
Music among the flowers
The festival’s programme moves beyond gardens with Bloom in Concert, a spring performance by the Cape Town Philharmonic Youth Orchestra on 12 September.
Conducted by Liam Burden, the orchestra will perform with guest soprano Lynelle Kenned in an afternoon programme of orchestral music and song.
The concert brings a different kind of energy to the festival. While much of Stanford in Bloom is connected to the visual transformation of the landscape, music offers another way of marking the change of season through sound, performance, and a shared experience.
It also reflects the festival’s broader attempt to bring different parts of Stanford’s cultural life into the same programme.
For a village better known for its quiet streets and rural surroundings, an afternoon of orchestral music offers a different way of experiencing the place. The contrast is part of its appeal: the landscape remains present, but the focus shifts from what can be seen to what can be heard.
Cheese takes centre stage
Among the festival’s returning highlights is the Klein River Cheese Demo Kitchen, which will once again bring chefs, cooks, and winemakers together for a programme of demonstrations, workshops, and tastings.
The kitchen will be based at Oulap Hall on Morton Street, where visitors can expect a series of sessions centred around food, local produce and, naturally, plenty of cheese.
This year’s line-up includes recipe creator Christine Capendale, the team from Grootbos, Madre and Creation Wines, alongside other local culinary personalities.
The demonstrations offer visitors more than an opportunity to watch food being prepared. They create a space to learn new techniques, discover ingredients, and experience the connections between food, wine, and the region’s producers.
With limited spaces available, those wanting to attend classes will need to book ahead.
A village in bloom
Stanford in Bloom has grown into an annual celebration of the village’s identity, bringing together its natural surroundings and its food, art, and cultural offerings.
The festival’s timing also makes it an appealing spring escape. As winter gives way to warmer days, the Overberg becomes a landscape of changing colours, gardens, and flowering indigenous vegetation.
Visitors can move between formal events and the village itself, exploring local shops, restaurants and attractions between workshops and performances.
The Stanford in Bloom Market will add another layer to the programme, alongside live music, talks, and creative activities taking place throughout the festival.
For those travelling from Cape Town and surrounding areas, the event offers an opportunity to slow down for a weekend and experience Stanford beyond its usual role as a country getaway.
From the garden to the table
The connection between landscape and food runs through much of the festival.
That relationship is particularly clear in the Klein River Cheese programme, where local ingredients and seasonal cooking become part of the experience.
Capendale’s spring recipe, for example, pairs sweet pear and toasted walnuts with Klein River Cheese’s Stanford cheese in a rustic golden galette, the kind of dish that fits naturally into a spring lunch or leisurely weekend table.
The recipe reflects a broader theme of the festival: celebrating what is available close to home and finding new ways to bring it to the table.
For cheese lovers, there is also the chance to sample Klein River Cheese’s award-winning range, including Gruberg Mature, a small-batch cheese matured for six months and known for its rich, nutty flavour and firm texture.
Planning your visit
Stanford in Bloom takes place from 12 to 27 September 2026 throughout Stanford in the Western Cape.
The Klein River Cheese Demo Kitchen will be hosted at Oulap Hall, 159 Morton Street, with workshops, demonstrations and tastings running as part of the festival programme.
With limited spaces for some kitchen events, visitors are encouraged to book their preferred sessions early.
Tickets are available through Webtickets.
For more information, go to: https://stanfordinbloom.co.za/
