40 years of Knysna in our shoes

KNYSNA NEWS - The Knysna Oyster Festival is celebrating its 40th year as a beloved institution of this seaside town and, as always, offers a host of activities.

It kicked off at the Turbine Hotel and Spa on Thursday 29 June, where guests got a taste of what's to come.

The programme is jam-packed with cultural, gastronomical and sporting activities, ensuring that it lives up to its theme, "a whale of a time".

One of the biggest draw cards every year is the Knysna Cycle Tour and this year boasted 1 500 entrants during the two-day event. "The Knysna Cycle tour was very well attended and loved by everyone," said Knysna travel blogger Rose Bilbrough.

"The new routes were a big hit among the participants. The festival and its events have been gaining a lot of traction so far and it's only been a couple of days."

Cyclists making their way through the forest on Day 1 of the Knysna Cycle Tour. Photo: Rose Bilbrough

Art

The Knysna Art Walk is a treat for art lovers. Running from 3 to 8 July, the walk features the following attractions: Unblocked exhibition at the Old Goal, Faces and Flowers at Art on Queen, Local is Lekka at the Gathershop on 18 Gordon St, The Winter Show at Knysna Fine Art, Jan Raats at Jandreart on Thesen Harbour Town, Art on the Lake at Crouse Art Gallery at the Knysna Waterfront, the Gretha Helberg Exhibition at Oaks on Main, Our Town: Children's Charity Exhibition hosted by Knysna Education Trust on the corner of Graham and Queen streets, as well as the mural by Lance Khoury, Faith DuPlessis, Beth Lowe and Chloe Obermeyer at The Deckle Edge.

The Art Walk is a means of opening up art tourism for the town and helping Knysna to reestablish itself as an artists' hub.

The Oyster Festival of course wouldn't be the Oyster Festival without sampling oysters, so look out for oyster specials at various restaurants and pubs.

Award-winning Fikile Hlatshwayo who wrote Blacks do Caravan, was a hit among guests during the launch of her new book, Born To Travel at the Turbine Hotel and Spa on 1 July. Photos: Zoë Fick

Knysna in my shoes

"The festival is truly on!" says Thozeka Sikali of Visit Knysna. "Many of the events are sold out and people are looking forward to the Knysna Forest Marathon on Saturday 8 July and the Knysna Wine Festival - also on Saturday. We have approximately 9 000 entries for this year's Knysna Forest Marathon, it's definitely one to watch."

To celebrate the Knysna Oyster Festival's 40th year running, there will be a "Knysna in my Shoes" competition as a way of giving back to the people of Knysna for making the festivities possible.

The competition encourages participants to post pictures of their shoes at iconic landmarks in Knysna during festival time, using the correct hashtags and tagging all sponsors, to win a prize worth R15 000.

Thozeka Sikali and Keagon Borchards of Visit Knysna and Kirsty Hofhuis of Knysna Municipality were the gracious hosts of the Oyster Festival Opening at the Turbine Hotel & Spa. Photo: Zoë Fick