About East London

East London sits at the mouth of the Buffalo River and is South Africa's only city built around a river port, a legacy of its 19th-century role as a British settler and trading harbour. The East London Museum holds the world-famous coelacanth, the "living fossil" fish first identified here in 1938 after being caught off the coast, one of the twentieth century's great zoological discoveries. Surf beaches like Nahoon and Gonubie draw a strong local surfing and outdoor culture, and the city has long been an industrial centre, anchored by a major Mercedes-Benz manufacturing plant. Today it forms part of the Buffalo City Metro, blending Eastern Cape coastal life with township communities such as Mdantsane on its outskirts.

East London's spring calendar stays heavy on entertainment and sport, with 50 qualifying listings running into November. Faith communities gather for GLS 2026 East London in Abbotsford this week, while theatre returns to the Guild Theatre with Hey Hey Divorcé - 24 October later in the month. Runners can tackle Khulani AC 10km Mdantsane on the same weekend, and families have the AfriFees Laerskool Ooskus Gimnasium to look forward to at month's end. Concertgoers can still catch Mlungisi Gegana Nonet's jazz set at the Guild Theatre before October closes out.