Plettenberg Bay vs Plett Rage

Plett, as it’s affectionately known is acknowledged world-wide for its sunny disposition, consistently boasting blue skies and rarely raining. This is just one of the reasons it is such a popular destination, particularly with retirees and wealthy South African holiday-makers.

It also happens to occupy a gorgeous spot on the idyllic Garden Route. In Plettenberg Bay, the white sand beaches are uninterrupted for kilometres, and the surrounding flora has a green, jungle-like quality. The area is great for mountain-biking, hiking and generally relaxing, making Plett accommodation highly desirable.

With strolls on the beach and meals in top notch restaurants on the cards, combined with large private holiday homes and a great climate, Plett seems to have a pretty defined identity – tranquillity and class come to mind. However, come November, and all notions of Plett as a refined, peaceful destination are turned on their heads. You can blame it on the 80’s.

In the 1980’s groups of matrics (South African school leavers), piled into old kombis and drove the 6 or so hours up to Plett from Cape Town. This was done as a week-long celebration of the end of the final examinations and the beginning of their freedom, post-school. Slowly it became an unspoken tradition and finally, a commercial event. Today, Plett Rage takes over the small beach town for 10 days in late November, giving the alcohol industry and Plett’s tourism industry a massive financial boost.

These days, the Plett Rage Festival draws crowds of over 15 000 students, making it the largest event of its type in the Southern hemisphere. It has a line-up of top South African music acts (Haezer, Euphonik, Van Coke Kartel and Jack Parrow were on the 2012 bill), and there are numerous side-events like the beach volleyball and touch rugby tournaments to keep kids entertained during daylight hours. Getting access to all this and more requires nothing more than the purchasing of the Plett Rage Freedom Pass. Alternatively you can buy tickets to individual events at the door.

During Rage season, plett accommodation becomes known as Plett Rage accommodation and is very difficult to come by, unless you have booked long in advance. However, unless you are fresh out of high school it’s probably advisable to hold out until early December, when Plettenberg Bay once again dons its more harmonious hat.

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