The Winter Sculpture Fair at Nirox

May is one of the most beautiful months in Gauteng – bright sunny days, leaves bursting with autumn colours and crisp mornings. As Jozi residents find themselves becoming aware of the impending 3 months of winter, more and more outdoor events seem to be springing up during this time, and one of them was the Winter Sculpture Fair at Nirox.

A 45 minute drive from Joburg, Nirox has to be one of my favourite venues. Tucked away in the hills of the Cradle of Humankind, this stunning sprawling venue is dotted with ponds, rolling lawns and creative energy. Nirox is a private foundation that offers residency to artists as well as exhibition spaces for their work.

This year MasterCard teamed up with Artlogic and selected Franschhoek restaurants and wine farms to host a weekend of art and culinary experiences. The concept is just wonderful – you buy a fantastic glass of wine and a small plate of beautifully presented gourmet delicacies, find a spot on the grass or at one of the tables and soak up the autumn rays while indulging in Franschhoek’s finest.

Luckily the husband and I arrived quite early so we could sample some of the food on offer. We snacked on mini Kobe Beef burgers from Breaside, Pickled tongue with caramelised onions and Curried fish cakes in a clam, sweet corn and vanilla velouté (surprising favourite) from Fyndraai Restaurant and some fantastic wines and bubbly from Moreson. Unfortunately I think the organizers underestimated the amount of people that were willing to drive some distance for a day out of the city… by 13:30 all the food was sold out and so was most of the wine. I have to say that I would have been super disappointed if I had paid R100.00 entrance fee only to find ‘Sold Out’ signs everywhere.

Something else that I think the organizers should consider is to create an ‘Adults only’ space… I’m sorry, but I have no desire to look at other people’s children picking their noses and sticking their dirty little fingers in a R60.00 plate of well composed duck boboti or screaming their heads off while I’m trying to enjoy a tiny bite of salmon or knocking my precious South African MCC out of my hand because they’re playing touchers. Honestly.

If they decide to host the event again next year we would probably go again… But this time we’ll go really early, secure a spot far away from the crèche and take our own picnic blankets – then I could spend an entire day there.

Read more about Nirox here and about the Winter Sculpture Fair here.