Wow.  It’s a bumper weekend.  The list of activities is so long it’s hard to know where to start… (can you feel summer approaching?)  But here are the highlights for the next few days, taken from the Mother City Living events calendar.

Ubuntu Water Foundation Film Festival 2009

This festival is a celebration of water and is being screened at Labia Theatre and Cape Town Medi-Spa on Kloof Street from 16-29 October. The festival examines both energetic and spiritual aspects of water simultaneously exploring what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century – The World Water Crisis. (more info)

Red Week at Spier

Spier goes crimson with the blossoming of 230 indigenous coral trees. In celebration of the event, and the arrival of spring, Spier will host its annual Red Week festival from Friday October 23rd to Saturday 31st.  Red wine tastings will be a focus of the festivities, with limited offers, special tastings and unusual food pairings showcasing award-winning blends and single-cultivar wines.  Add to that red-inspired art installations and red-themed restaurant dishes, and it all sounds rather fun to me! (more info)

Destinations Expo

Big travel expo on at the CTICC over the weekend.  Lots of workshops, drumming displays and travel specials.  Plus, two talks aimed at (potential) eco-tourists. CTICC. 22-25 October ’09.  10am-8pm (except Sunday, which closes at 6pm).  Adults R50, Students/Pensioners R30, Scholars R20, U/12s free. (more info)

Helderberg Wine Festival

Twenty eight great wineries from Stellenbosch and Somerset West have joined forces to offer the second Helderberg Wine Festival at each individual farm. The festival includes 7 Crowd Pleasers as well as a packed programme of individually tailored events at each of the participating wineries.  Stellenbosch + Somerset West.  22-25 October ’09. 10am-5pm (times may vary at individual wineries).  Tickets: R75 for festival pass. (more info)

Franschhoek Open Gardens

Every year some of Franschhoek’s most beautiful gardens are opened up to the public for a weekend.   Sounds like a pretty tranquil way to spend a weekend, and if gardens rock your world, this is probably the place to be.  Franschhoek.  24,25 October ’09.  9am-5pm.  Tickets: R100 for a garden pass.  Franschhoek Info Office: Tel: (021) 876 2861.

Elgin Valley Market

If you’re heading into the Overberg this weekend, a great way to spend an hour or two is at the Elgin Valley Market.  The farmers’ market is out of its winter hibernation and getting into the swing of spring with delicious fresh produce from the local ‘hood.

Peregrine Farm Stall, Elgin (on the N2).  Saturday 24 October ’09. 9am.  Contact Sean on 083 682 5030. www.elginvalleymarket.co.za

350.org International Day of Climate Action

Saturday the 24th of October is an international day of climate action.  And in Cape Town, there are some really cool things you can do to support this great initiative (and have fun at the same time).  Like climbing Table Mountain and forming a giant human ’350′ on the table top, or building ice sculptures on Muizenberg Beach (and then watching them melt).  (more info)

Pinotage on Tap Festival

And, the cherry on top – a festival replete with chocolate fountains, live local bands and flowing barrels of pinotage… in the lovely setting of Diemersfontein Estate near Wellington.  Tickets are sold out, so if you haven’t got one, you either need to get real friendly with someone who has, or wait it out until next year!  Saturday 24 October ’09. 2pm-7pm.

Upcoming events to look out for

• Groot Constantia Gift Fair (26-29 Oct ’09)
• Kamersvol Geskenke (28 Oct – 1 Nov ’09)
• Festive Ideas Market (28 Oct – 1 Nov ’09)
• La Motte Classical Music Festival (31 Oct – 1 Nov ’09)
• Cape Farmhouse Full Moon Feast (2 Nov ’09)

(Image:  Alpacas, shorn and unshorn, at the From The Earth Expo last weekend)

DISCLAIMER: Please use any event information as a guide only. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy thereof, things do change – and the best way to make sure something is definitely on is to contact the event organisers themselves. Full bells’n'whistles disclaimer here.