Val de Vie Estate, set below the Paarl-Franschhoek mountains, will host the second Absa Du Champ on 6 February 2027. The one-day event launched in 2026 and quickly set itself apart from a standard polo fixture: it's built around four chapters — Art, Style, Flavour and Polo — all running across the same afternoon.
The horses still headline. The Polo Chapter unfolds on Val de Vie's fields, and the 2026 edition staged both men's and women's matches. Royal Reins took the ladies' game 6-5, while Inland Lakers edged the men's 10-goal final 7-6. Even casual spectators tend to get pulled in once the chukkas start — the calm of the mountainsides shatters pretty fast when riders come through at full gallop.
The most distinctive strand, though, is The Art Chapter, presented with Gallery MOMO. The gallery has spent over two decades championing contemporary African artists, with spaces in Johannesburg and Cape Town and a roster focused on the continent and its diaspora. For Du Champ, that means collectible works and a curated exhibition brought out of the gallery and into the Winelands. The inaugural edition showed pieces by Blessing Ngobeni, Vivien Kohler, Phoka Nyokong, Ayobola Kekere-Ekun and Bevan de Wet, curated by Gallery MOMO's Monna Mokoena and Absa Art Museum curator Dr Paul Bayliss. The 2027 line-up hasn't been announced yet, but organisers say the chapter returns with a fresh creative direction.
The food side is no afterthought either. In 2026, chef Johnny Hamman created a 12-course culinary experience, alongside wine and champagne tastings and luxury design showcases. For 2027, all four chapters are confirmed; the detailed programme is still to come.
The appeal here is the format rather than any single element. Cape Winelands days usually ask you to pick a lane — a wine estate lunch, a gallery, a scenic drive. Du Champ stacks them into one ticket, and you drift between matches, plates and canvases as the mood takes you. February also happens to be peak summer in the Winelands, with long evenings and the vines at their fullest.
If you're planning a Cape Town trip in early 2027 and want one afternoon that covers sport, culture and a very good lunch, it's worth putting this date on the calendar. Just note that details and tickets are released closer to the time, so keep an eye on the organisers' announcements.
