The City of Cape Town’s Events Permit Office is gearing up for a busy weekend of events which include URC rugby action, national first division football, international ice hockey and endurance swimming.
This week has already kicked off on a high, with World Travel Market Africa (WTM Africa), the continent’s premier tourism gathering, and the IIHF Senior Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship both getting under way yesterday.
WTM Africa, taking place at the CTICC until tomorrow, has brought together around 8 000 travel and tourism professionals from over 100 countries for three days of panels, conferences, award ceremonies, and valuable networking opportunities.
The event programme includes more than 13 500 pre-scheduled meetings and over 70 sessions across its three days.
Meanwhile, the Ice Station at GrandWest is hosting the IIHF Senior Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship Division III Group A this week.
Featuring national teams from South Africa, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mexico, Thailand, Türkiye and Turkmenistan, the tournament includes 15 games played over five days.
Matches take place daily at 13:00, 16:30 and 20:00, with South Africa competing in the prime-time 20:00 fixture on all match days. Fixtures continue today, Thursday and Friday, with the final matches scheduled for Sunday.
The earlier games offer free entry for fans, while tickets for the South Africa fixtures at 20:00 are available at R100 and can be purchased at the door at the Ice Station.
The permit office will have its busiest stretch this week from Friday, 17 April to Sunday, 19 April 2026 where it will be monitoring at least 40 events with a combined attendance of over 200 000 people.
‘We are coming from an exceptionally busy weekend, which saw Cape Town successfully host the Two Oceans Marathon over two days without incident. The City’s event permit office, supported by our Safety and Security personnel, have not let up and are working around the clock to ensure these upcoming events are delivered safely. These events are not only vital for social cohesion, but they also unlock significant economic opportunities and continue to showcase Cape Town as a world-class events destination,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
Stormers vs Connacht Rugby
The DHL Stormers will host Connacht Rugby in a United Rugby Championship fixture at DHL Stadium on 18 April 2026.
This will be the team’s penultimate regular season game in Cape Town and part of a push to have homegrown advantage in the playoffs.
A free MyCiTi shuttle service, for match ticket holders, will transport spectators to the stadium from the Civic Centre and Thibault Square stations.
With the game scheduled for a 13:45 kick-off, the shuttle will start operating from 11:15 and the last bus will leave the Green Point Precinct at 18:10.
For those driving into the city centre, the City of Cape Town will open its parking areas for ticket holders from 10:45. The parking bays, accessible from Hertzog Boulevard incoming and on Civic Road, will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The parking will close at 20:00.
Paid parking is also available at the Parkalot on Jack Craig Street and at Harbour Arch on Harbour Arch Boulevard.
Off-street parking, free from 13:00 on Saturdays, is also available in the CBD.
Residents and motorists are advised that Fritz Sonnenberg Road, Stephan Way, Vlei Road and Granger Bay Boulevard will be impacted from 06:00 until after the game.
Cape Town City vs Hungry Lions
Cape Town City FC will go up against Hungry Lions on Saturday, 18 April in a Motsepe Foundation Championship game.
Athlone Stadium will host the match, which is part of the Citizens’ push for promotion from the national first division.
Kick-off is at 15:30, with gates opening at 13:00.
Entry to the match is free. Spectators can secure their seats through Webtickets.
Waterfront Canal Challenge
Also on Saturday, 18 April, around 600 swimmers will test their endurance at the Waterfront Canal Challenge, Africa’s only urban timed canal swim.
Taking place along V&A Waterfront’s Canal District, the athletes will take on a variety of distances, including the Half Mile, 1-Mile, or Elite Mile race.
Proceeds from the event support local development and empowerment initiatives championed by the Rotary Club of Waterfront.
Racing begins from 07:00 at Battery Park.
Those interested in taking on the challenge can enter here.
