About Kimberley

Kimberley is the capital of the Northern Cape and the town where South Africa's 1871 diamond rush began, leaving behind the Big Hole, one of the largest hand-dug excavations in the world and now a major heritage attraction with an adjoining mine museum. The rush drew prospectors including a young Cecil John Rhodes, who founded De Beers Consolidated Mines here, and the city's Victorian-era streets and the McGregor Museum still trace that history. Kimberley is also a university town, home to Sol Plaatje University, named after the writer and political figure who lived there. Its dry, flat surrounds on the edge of the Karoo make it a hub for the wider Diamond Fields region.

Kimberley's theatre scene is busy this stretch, with Cradle of Creativity On Tour running at the Northern Cape Theatre. Shoppers can browse after dark at the Night Market @ Clubhouse 053 in Verwoerd Park, and De Beers hosts the Maskandi Fest Kimberley for a night of traditional Zulu music. Comedy fans have Stuck In Dubai booked in at the Flamingo Casino, and later in September the Kimberley Equestrian Centre welcomes the Lipizzaners in Kimberley for a rare display of classical horsemanship. Between markets, music and comedy, there's a wide spread of things on in town over the coming weeks.