About Stellenbosch

Stellenbosch is the second-oldest town in South Africa, founded in 1679 on the banks of the Eerste River and named after Dutch governor Simon van der Stel. Its oak-lined Dorp Street and Cape Dutch architecture make it one of the country's best-preserved historic town centres, and it is the undisputed heart of the Cape Winelands, ringed by estates such as Spier, Delheim and Muratie that draw visitors year-round. The town is also a major university centre, with Stellenbosch University giving it a young, academic energy that sits alongside its wine-farming economy. Surrounded by the Jonkershoek and Simonsberg mountains, it functions as both a working agricultural district and one of the Cape's most visited tourist towns.

Stellenbosch's October calendar turns to conferences and wine-farm culture once Woordfees wraps up. Hazendal Wine Estate hosts the multi-day World Nutrition Summit 2026, while Clos Malverne Wine Estate answers with the Clos Malverne Gourmet Evening the same week. The Stellenbosch Business School runs Career Insights Day 2026 | FutureReady: Human Potential in the Age of AI, and music lovers can mark the David Earl 75th Birthday Celebration at Old Nectar Gardens. Trail runners close out the stretch with the TrailFun Thank You Run at Mitre's Edge.