The Cape Town leg of the annual Decorex SA interior design and décor exhibition is about to hit the city. Over the past 17 years, this event has grown from a small-trade fair, to attracting over 100, 000 local and international visitors and trade buyers today. Decorex has become a pioneer brand in the interior design landscape – constantly reinventing itself, and encouraging consumers, local decorators and interior designers to seek inspiration locally instead of overseas. This enables them to stay at the forefront of a trend-driven industry.

Visitors to Decorex Cape Town 2012 can look forward to an interior design experience expressing the Mother City´s innovative energy. The exhibition stalls will be bursting with exuberant and confident brand ideas – forming a hotbed of the captivating colours, forms, shapes and silhouettes of the moment. Decorex Designer Collection, a homeware range on a creative crusade to showcase South African design talent and artisan traditions in modern form, will also launch during this year’s event. Free demos and workshops at the how-to theatre, foodie delights at pop-up cafés, and restaurants provide for a whole day of excitement.

For more information, this year’s line-up, or to book tickets, please visit www.decorex.co.za

Photo courtesy Frank3.0

The Easter Bunny has been bouncing around getting ready for this year’s annual Easter egg hunt at Del Vera Outdoor Village. Let the kids loose to stuff their baskets full with a whole lot of treats. Even though chocolates might be gobbled up quickly, childhood memories of Easter happiness will last a lifetime.

After the hunt, let the kids run off their sugar high in the 300-year-old Yellowwood forest or dive into some craft time. If they’re over the bunnies, they can head over to the Equine Sport Centre to blaze along the trails perched atop a saddle.

As for the adults, the village houses a variety of shops and activities, from hand-thrown ceramics to olive and wine tastings. Or let the spirit of the season motivate you to meander through the vineyards and gardens and appreciate the beauty of life in its lush forms.

The Easter egg hunt will be held on both Saturday the 7^th and on Monday the 9^th; you can contact info@delvera.co.za for more details. Hop over soon, and let the good times roll!

Del Vera Outdoor Village; Stellenbosch; +27 (0)21 884 4352; www.delvera.co.za

Photo courtesy cobalt123

Who hosts the best St. Patty’s Day party in Cape Town? Well, the Irish, of course! And you don’t need the luck of one to find the best place to be; just head over to the Irish South African Association’s annual toast to the motherland, and you’ll be in good company.

Every year, the expats band together to celebrate a night of Irish pride. Using the gorgeous South Atlantic views as Cape Town’s stand-in for the Irish Sea, the Lagoon Beach Hotel and its world-class kitchens will magic up a three-course gourmet dinner of authentic Irish fare. Then when you’ve had a few drams of whiskey and a Guinness or two, grab your ghillies and jig along with an interactive Irish dancing program and the toe-tapping tunes of a true Irish band.

While the day-long pub crawls certainly have their charm, this event is a bit more straight-laced. Dress “smart with a splash of green” as you must appear put together in the presence of His Excellency, the Irish Ambassador to South Africa, Mr. Brendan McHanon, and his wife, Irene. But this dinner is on the 16^th, so you can always just use the night to warm up for (or just go straight through to) the next day’s marathon of festivities, which conveniently falls on a Saturday this year.

Tables for the ISAA dinner-dance will disappear faster than a leprechaun spotted by a human, so reserve a seat now for R275. Events this good are as rare as a four-leaf clover!

Irish South African Association; Marine Drive, Milnerton; +27 21 528 2000; http://www.ireland.co.za/news/detail/isaa-cape-town-st-patricks-dinner-dance-2012/58.aspx

Photo courtesy Russel Wasserfall

Housed in a converted sheep-sheering cottage tucked away 30 minutes from Cape Town, The Table at De Meye combines a comforting, home-style ambience with exquisite cuisine.  The focus is the food and company – it’s a leisurely, hours-long lunch where the only decision you have to make is if you want the wine pairings. The owners, brother-sister duo Camilla and Jason Comins, conjure up a new 3-course set menu each week featuring seasonal ingredients and homemade everything.

Before training professionally, the farm-raised Comins grew up tending backyard vegetable gardens and breeding livestock for the kitchens, so whatever the surprise dishes are for the week, they’re bound to be delicious. While tender lamb shoulder and roast pork belly often appear atop the linen table cloths of downtown 5-stars, here the same luxurious fare is brought to you family-style, in view of the sprawling lawn and the shady oaks. If your inner foodie craves an extra course, sign up for a food photography class by Camilla’s husband, the renowned Russel Wasserfall.

Given the preparation necessary, advanced booking is necessary. The average cost per meal is R250, and they will cater to dietary requirements.

The Table at De Meye; Elsenburg Road; 083 252 9588; www.thetablerestaurant.co.za

Courtesy clarism_4 @ Flickr

No matter where, when, or why, carnivals always mean one thing: fun. Cape Town’s Minstrel Carnival is no different.

Not only is the annual street party a spectacle of music, dancing, and elaborate costumes, it’s a cultural tradition, too. Dating back to the 1800s, Kaapse Klopse (as the carnival is known locally) originated during the slave era, either because the new year marked slaves’ only holiday, or because minstrel entertainers aboard American steamliners docked in Cape Town and performed for the sailors at that time.

Today, the event is still as enthralling. Troupes dance and sing through city centre, dressed in bold-coloured, feisty outfits. Some groups practice months beforehand in hopes of winning one of the competitions held at Athlone Stadium.

Whether you’d like to participate or to spectate, parade downtown on 2 January for Cape Town’s historical, yet hippest, way to begin the new year.