Montagu Herb Festival

16/09/2026

07/09/2026

A VISUAL REWIND | THANK YOU | SIGNING OFF UNTIL NEXT YEAR 🌿

We’ve tried to keep the Herb Festival vibe going for as long as possible. It was hard to say goodbye to our festival-goers and pack everything away a week ago!

So take your time scrolling through these unposed snapshots from the weekend and relive a little of the festival magic.

There was certainly no shortage of smiles, connection, curiosity, and new discoveries. 💚

And then, of course, there are our thank-yous…
🌿The Montagu Museum team & FOMM v olunteers — for months of behind-the-scenes planning, preparation, and set-up.
🌿 The Blou Café team — for hosting and sponsoring our Welcome Event.
🌿 Our very special crew of scarecrow whisperers (you know who you are).
🌿 Our speakers, food vendors, marketplace exhibitors, workshop facilitators, open-garden hosts, and nature-walk guides — for sharing your knowledge, talents, spaces, and passion.
🌿 Local businesses who sponsored the festival programme.
🌿 Local guesthouses who provided complimentary accommodation for our out-of-town speakers.
🌿 And finally, our festival-goers. Without you, there is no festival. (A special shout-out to everyone who travelled from Cape Town, Gordon’s Bay, Oudtshoorn, and even Namibia to join us)

Now that the herbs have been fussed over, the stalls packed away, and our feet have had a chance to recover, we’ll regroup, reflect, and start thinking about Herb Festival 2027.

Keep an eye on our social media for the first intel. 👀🌱

Until next year… stay rooted! 💚

04/09/2026

FLASHMOB | “ROER JOU VOETE” 💃

On Saturday morning, our line-dancing flashmob delivered exactly the element of surprise we were hoping for at the Herb Festival Marketplace!

Here’s a little snippet for those who missed it. 👇🏼

📷 Video footage | Cor Greyling

03/09/2026

WHERE HERBS INSPIRE CREATIVITY 🍃

Over the weekend, festival-goers had the chance to learn from talented makers and practitioners, get hands-on, and discover new ways of working with the plants around us.

💜 ESSENTIAL OIL DISTILLATION | Petrus and Liana demonstrated the intricate process of lavender oil distillation on their farm.

🌼 FLOWER CROWNS | Elmari Rossouw and her baskets overflowing with fynbos, wildflowers and greenery were, once again, a firm favourite with young and old.

🔥 INCENSE CONES | Yvette from Yamù Botanicals in Barrydale is a well-loved festival fixture, and her incense cone workshop drew an enthusiastic crowd.

🍃 ECO PRINTING | Nastasha Sale's 3-hour botanical silk scarf workshop was a beautiful and luxurious addition to this year’s festival.
📷 Eco Print photos courtesy of Nastasha Sale .

Thank you to all our workshop facilitators, demonstrators, and participants for sharing your knowledge, creativity, and passion — and for making these sessions such a memorable part of the 2026 Montagu Herb Festival. 🍃

02/09/2026

🥾🥾 WALKING THE LANDSCAPE

Every year, our nature walks offer festival-goers the chance to slow down and discover Montagu’s extraordinary botanical heritage in the company of local guides who know and love this landscape.

🌿 The Joubert House Medicinal Herb Garden walk, where Hilton and Zamile shared traditional herb lore and knowledge.

🌿 The Kogman & Keisie Mountain Fynbos walk, where Liana Jansen introduced walkers to the remarkable plants and their properties in this unique mountain ecosystem.

🌿 The Montagu Nature Garden walk, where Hugo de Wet brought together indigenous flora, geology, birdlife, and biodiversity in an immersive exploration of this beautiful reserve.

A huge thank you to our wonderful guides — and to everyone who pulled on their walking shoes and joined us. 🥾🥾

This is what ‘Back to Our Roots’ and shared heritage are all about — connecting landscape, heritage, and knowledge.

31/08/2026

BACK TO OUR ROOTS | TEA BLENDING & HERB LORE 🍃 🫖

For the first time, Montagu Museum staff members, Hilton Koul and Julia Draghoender, stepped into the role of tea-blending guides, inviting festival-goers into an immersive experience.

Two of the Museum’s own blends were on show: the INSOMNIA Blend and the COLDS & FLU Blend — offering a glimpse into the traditional knowledge held within the Museum’s herb collection.

ꫂ❁ Julia also demonstrated the tradition of making a tussie mussie — a small, fragrant posy made from herbs and flowers. Festival-goers could then create their own tussie mussies, adding a wonderfully hands-on and personal touch to the workshop.

After Saturday’s miserable weather, Sunday brought the sunshine. The patio at Joubert House was looking its best, with the mini herb exhibition perfectly complementing the beautiful medicinal herb garden backdrop.

30/08/2026

THE NEXT GENERATION OF HERB LOVERS 𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧

A few of our favourite younger festival-goers enjoying BACK TO OUR ROOTS.

The Montagu Herb Festival is a family-friendly weekend, with plenty to spark curious young minds — from exploring and playing to tasting, creating, and simply soaking up the atmosphere.

We love seeing the festival through their eyes.

29/08/2026

THE SHOW MUST GO ON! ☔️

A little rain isn’t going to dampen our Herb Festival spirits! 🌿

Light rain is predicted in Montagu from late morning into the early afternoon.

☔️ So grab an umbrella and come along!

In fact, an umbrella might just be the perfect accessory for today’s scheduled guided walks and open gardens.🌿☔️

⭑ PLEASE NOTE ⭑ | While we can’t control the weather, we can make a Plan B!
We have alternate venue options in place for the Kids’ Station and Chef Demos, should they be needed.

📍 Check the Information Desk at the Mission Church for any updates or changes during the day.

Have a great Day 2 at the Herb Festival.