Boschendal Farm hosts events for March

Image supplied: The Boschendale Farm Manor House

On 13 March at 11am, the late summer festival will begin on the picnic lawns at the entrance, continuing through the main grounds and ending with a short performance in front of the Boschendal Manor House. The latter now houses exceptional art exhibitions - a collaborative venture between the estate and the Norval Foundation.

This year will see another puppet show with three enormous puppets, is presented by the puppeteer artists and musicians from Net vir Pret in Barrydale, a non-profit that has been working with children from disadvantaged communities in the Overberg and beyond. The procession this year aims to raise awareness about endangered aquatic life found in rivers, ponds and dams on the farm and surrounding area.

The lifelike puppets were originally made by the award-winning Ukwanda Puppet Company from the Centre for Humanities Research (CHR) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), specifically for the Barrydale Giant Puppet Parade regularly held in the Klein Karoo. One of the creations is a highly endangered redfin minnow, an indigenous fish common in the Cape Floristic Region that is teetering on the brink of extinction. The procession also serves to throw focus on water sustainability and hopes to inspire a new generation of eco-warriors.

Plum picking

Another popular immersive experience is the orchard walkabout on 6, 13, 20 and 27 of March from 8.30am - 10.30am where guests are invited to pick plums from the trees.

This year, in keeping with Covid protocols, Boschendal’s farmers will host only twenty-five persons at a time. Pickers only pay for their gathered bounty and because there is no cost to take part, pre-booking is essential. For those wanting to commit their plum experiences to tangible memories, the recently opened homeware store next to The Werf will be selling locally made fabric napkins beautified with plum prints.

Image supplied: Plum picking at Boschendale

Movies

The Drive-In is back, kicking off every good-weather Saturday from 5 March to the end of April. This season’s choices include Frozen 2 (05 March), Moana (12 March), Cars (19 March), and The Great Gatsby (26 March) - the only screening that has a PG restriction of 13. Pre-order a picnic basket the day before or grab a bite from the pop-up food stalls selling popular treats for the little ones and estate wines for the grown-ups. Picnic baskets cost from R150 (Kids Basket) to R620 (basket for two). The Drive-In costs R250 per vehicle of four with an additional charge of R80 for every extra person, and pre-booking is essential.

Image supplied: The Boschendale Night Market

The night market

At the Boschendal Friday Night Markets, you can expect live music, fresh farm produce, food stalls and stands laden with artisanal goods and handmade local products. It’s always a festive family affair and your dogs on a leash are welcome too.

To find out more about all the events happening this March at Boschendal, go here.