Visit Cape Town for Africa’s largest art fair
No matter when you visit Cape Town, you’ll be able to enjoy exploring art galleries both in the city and in the surrounding Cape Winelands. If you happen to be in the Mother City in February, then be sure not to miss the annual Cape Town Art Fair. Sponsored by Investec, it attracts huge crowds – and that’s hardly surprising. The city has a thriving arts scene, with its combination of natural beauty and cosmopolitan vibe providing inspiration for both established artists and rising stars.
Anyone who’s anyone in Cape Town art
This year’s art fair took place from 20 – 22 February, and attracted an estimated 30 000 visitors in addition to 10 000 VIP guests. Africa’s art market is growing at speed, and this event provides the perfect opportunity for local artists to engage with key players from the international art world.
It’s also the ideal chance for art lovers to view the latest works by their favorite painters and sculptors, and to discover new and exciting artists who have something to say. This was the 12th edition of the Cape Town Art Fair, and it’s fair to say that the occasion has grown in popularity and importance each year.
Not just an art gallery
With over 120 exhibitors, the art fair is much more than a static viewing experience. Visitors have the opportunity to meet and talk to the artists, and learn more about the messages they are conveying through pencil, crayon, ink, oil and watercolors, and creating from stone, wood, metal and plastic.
Africa’s art scene is increasingly being recognized as one of the most vibrant in the world, and Cape Town is the undisputed capital of this modern renaissance. In the past, Africa’s stories were told by voices from overseas; today, we can learn about what it means to be African from the people of this continent themselves.
Spend a morning or an afternoon strolling through the display spaces at the Cape Town Art Fair and you’ll come away with a strong sense of how vital these messages are: they tell of hope and dreams, ambition and aspiration.
Speaking truth to power
Artists have always played a vital role in addressing challenges within society, and South Africa’s troubled past is still being revisited and interpreted by today’s artists. Sometimes challenging, but always vital, their creations pose questions and ask us to look again at things we may previously have taken for granted.
Get closer to the art
Each year, the Investec Cape Town Art Fair features not just displays of art, but also a series of expert panel discussions that look at various aspects of the art, and of the process of producing, curating and collecting pieces. These talks are open to all visitors, and provide additional insights into every facet of the artists’ journey.
Key stories for 2025
Within the displays at the Cape Town Art Fair, certain themes emerge. In 2025, these were the idea of nostalgic dreamscapes (an opportunity to confront and reinterpret the past), exploring the interplay of memory and understanding the role of play in artistic creation and expression.
Through sharing and telling these stories, the artists and the art fair add color, depth and meaning to the experience of being in Cape Town. As art lovers ourselves, we can help you add color and texture to your time in the city with expert recommendations for an art-themed vacation – we know all the right people, and can let you in on all the secrets of Cape Town’s hottest new galleries and hidden exhibition spaces.
We’ll share our top art travel tips with you, like the fact that on the first Thursday of every month, there’s a special city-wide art exhibition that showcases all the names you need to know.
To discover Cape Town’s art scene, contact Journey Beyond today. Many of our tailormade South African itineraries are designed to give you ample free time to discover galleries and display spaces in the city, including our ‘Best of South Africa’ itinerary, our ‘Cape & Kalahari’ itinerary and especially our ‘Cape Escape’ itinerary.
