From 3 to 11 October, the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees takes over the town’s theatres, church halls, wine cellars and bars for nine days of theatre, music, comedy and conversation. With dozens of shows running across venues like Endler, Adam Small, Drostdy and the more intimate Daisy Jones Bar, the challenge isn’t finding something to see – it’s choosing what to skip.
Here are the highlights worth building your week around.
The Opener: Rapsodie vir ‘n Nuwe Wêreld
The festival kicks off on Saturday 3 October with Rapsodie vir ‘n nuwe wêreld at Endler – a 100-minute production setting an ambitious, thoughtful tone right from the first weekend.
The Marathon Night: Stellenbosch Starry Nights
If you only commit to one long evening, make it Sunday 4 October. Stellenbosch Starry Nights at Drostdy runs 150 minutes – one of the festival’s most immersive offerings, and a fitting way to open the week properly.
The Big Ticket: Amanda Strydom
Tuesday 6 October belongs to one name: Amanda Strydom: 70 nog lewendig at Bloemhof (19h00). A two-hour celebration of one of Afrikaans music’s most enduring voices, this is almost certainly the hardest ticket of the festival – book early.
The Deep Dive: Elke Briljante Ding + Teatergesprek: Skanse
Wednesday 7 October rewards festivalgoers who like to go beyond the stage. Elke briljante ding at Adam Small (11h30) pairs naturally with the Teatergesprek: Skanse discussion later that afternoon (13h30, Diskoerstent) – a chance to unpack the themes from the festival’s opening weekend production.
The Craft Day: Thursday at Adam Small
Thursday 8 October is built for anyone who loves process as much as performance. Autoplay opens the morning, Pizzolla Tangos brings a musical interlude at midday, and the AS Laboratorium session in the afternoon offers something more experimental before the evening’s Adam Small Oudit.
The Full Day: Friday’s Range
Friday 9 October is arguably the most varied single day of the festival – from Trio Aeroclave at Fismer in the late morning, through Raaf at the always-atmospheric Daisy Jones Bar, to a genuine evening choice between the 120-minute When Still Life Breathes and the more intimate Twee siele, een omhelsing.
The Family Morning: Pieter en die Wolf
Saturday 10 October opens with Prokofiev’s Pieter en die Wolf at Endler (10h00) – a reliable crowd-pleaser if you’re bringing younger festivalgoers along, before the day shifts into Voces Cordis and Prima at Drostdy.
The Closer: Vusi Mahlasela
The festival winds down on Sunday 11 October with one of its finest bookings: Vusi Mahlasela at Daisy Jones Bar (16h00) – a rare, intimate-venue appearance from one of South Africa’s most respected singer-songwriters. The Goioso Piano Quartet closes out the evening at Endler, sending nine days of Woordfees off on a reflective note.
2026 Programme
Click here for the full programme for the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees. Tickets are available through Quicket.