Durban plays host to several beach festivals and events throughout the year, over the main holiday seasons - December, Easter and July. Coupled with events on the glorious beaches of Umhlanga and Amanzimtoti, there’s always something happening, no matter what your interests or tastes.

THE DURBAN INTERNATIONAL BOAT AND LIFESTYLE SHOW
The only Boat Show in South Africa to be held in its entirety exactly where it should be - on the water! Staged during Durban’s balmy Winter weather, the Durban Boat Show features everything from dive gear, electronics, towcars and boats from the smallest dinghy to super-luxury island-hopping catamarans, every boat open to the public.

If you’re into aviation, the Durban Air Show is guaranteed to keep you enthralled, with demonstrations of private and military aircraft within the intimate venue of Durban’s Virginia Airport.

Billed as “Africa’s Greatest Horseracing Event”, the Vodacom Durban July attracts over 50000 spectators to the Greyville racecourse for an extravaganza of eye-opening fashion and heart-stopping racing action. If you’re intending to attend this prestigious event, early booking is essential.

One of the world’s top ultra-distance marathons, the Comrades is run between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, a distance of some 89 kilometres (56 miles). The race was the vision of War veteran Vic Clapham, who wanted to dedicate an event to the memory of fallen comrades from the Great War. 34 runners entered the first Comrades in 1921; the event has since grown to attract many thousands of entries from around the world.

More than just a canoe race, the ‘Duzi is a grueling three-day canoe duathlon, with paddlers having to portage on several of the race stages, between the start in Pietermaritzburg and the finish at Durban’s Blue Lagoon. The race has an illustrious history with world-famous conservationist, Dr. Ian Player, taking six days to reach the coast in the early 50’s.

The annual sardine run is a phenomenon experienced only on the East Coast of South Africa - a natural event that has come to be known as “The Greatest Shoal On Earth”, as tens of millions of shiny sardines make their way up the Coast, accompanied by packs of sharks, dolphins, whales and gamefish, as well as flocks of gannets and other sea and shore birds. The incredible thing about this naural event is that it can be viewed from the shore, the sea or the air, or from above and below the clear waters of our Indian Ocean. Shoals can at times be anything up to 20 kilometres long, and when they beach, it becomes a free-for-all with locals and tourists alike scooping up basketsful of these glittering creatures. The Sardine Run can occur at any time during the winter months of June and/or July.

The MTN Amashova Classic takes place on Sunday, October 18. The 106km race
starts in Pietermaritzburg and ends in Durban at Suncoast Casino and
Entertainment World.
The Sunday Tribune Amashova Fun Ride is over a distance of 38km from
Hillcrest High School to Suncoast Casino and Entertainment World.
Adding another dimension to the event is the MTN Asishove mountain bike
challenges which will take place at Midmar Dam on Saturday, October 17, over distances of 10km, 35km and 70km.
Making sure the kids are not left out, there's the MTN Minishova in Durban
with 1km (3-6 years old) and 5km (7-11years old) events at Suncoast on
Saturday, October 10 - a week before the main event.