Free things to do in Cape Town on your Birthday

Pop a bottle of Birthday Champers on the summit of Table Mountain!

“We love celebrating our local visitors’ birthdays with them by presenting each of them with a must-have gift: a free Cableway ticket” – Table Mountain

Whether you’re a local or tourist, a trip up the glorious tall-standing Table Mountain via their Aerial Cableway is an absolute MUST! Table Mountain is perhaps South Africa’s most iconic symbol & sought-after attraction, and, lucky for you, you get to experience this Cape Town bucket-list experience for FREE on your birthday / any day during your birthday month – how epic is that?! Of all the free things to do on your birthday in Cape Town, this is probably the most popular among locals. In fact, it is somewhat of a Capetonian tradition to visit Table Mountain on your birthday!

All South African residents, 4 years and older, can collect and redeem their FREE Cableway birthday ticket on any day during their birthday month. Simply show your South African ID (passport, driver’s license, and birth certificate also accepted) at the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Ticket Office or Visitor Information Centre on any day within your birth month and enjoy a free trip up to the top of the mountain – it’s as easy as that!

Be sure to pack a picnic basket and take in the spectacular sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean, Lion’s Head, Signal Hill, magnificent Mother City & beyond!

Check the weather forecast ahead of your visit as the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway’s operations are weather-dependent. For weather and operational status updates, please visit Table Mountain’s homepage , call 021 424 8181, send an email to [email protected] or follow Table Mountain on Facebook and Twitter. It can get pretty cold at the top of the mountain, so be sure to take a warm jacket with. If you’re driving there, arrive earlier as parking might be limited.

Celebrate your birthday with Cape Town’s coolest marine life locals! The Two Oceans Aquarium offers free birthday entry for kids and adults of ALL ages in your birthday month! YES! You read that right! You have your ENTIRE BIRTHDAY MONTH – AKA: 30 OR 31 DAYS (depending on the month) – to take advantage of this INCREDIBLE Two Oceans Aquarium special FREE birthday offer!

Simply present your valid South African identification, such as your ID or passport, driver’s license, or a copy of your birth certificate at the Two Oceans Aquarium’s onsite ticket office to collect your complimentary birthday ticket and embark on a fun-filled & thrilling day of admiring, discovering, and exploring all the incredible ocean wonders the Two Oceans Aquarium has to offer & then some!

The Two Oceans Aquarium is a wonderful place for families, individuals, young and old to enjoy. This child-friendly aquarium offers a world of opportunities to explore and discover what the warm Indian Ocean with its bright and colourful fish and corals has to offer. In contrast, the cold Atlantic with its silver shoaling fish, swaying kelp and sleek predators, is sure to mesmerise and leave visitors marvelling at a world unseen by many.

Click here for more information & everything you need to know!

If you’re a die-hard adrenaline junkie or avid thrill seeker, this is DEFINITELY the perfect birthday present for you!

There’s nothing like a free-fall to make you feel alive. This one is definitely not for the faint-hearted, but adrenaline junkies will love this free birthday special in Cape Town. Visit Hotel Sky for a gravity-defying experience. 

Starting on the 28th floor of Hotel Sky, the exhilarating Sky-Hi ride catapults you 35 metres up in the air on a chair lift, reaching a speed of up to 100 km per hour. If that’s not thrilling enough, you descend from truly epic heights – the hotel’s 28th floor, or 146 metres above the Cape Town City Bowl, to be exact, giving you a pretty spectacular sweep-you-off-your-feet (quite literally) bird’s eye view of the entire Mother City – How incredible is that?!

If this bucket-list worthy adventure experience excites you & has you jumping at the bid to tick off your list, then step right up to claim your free birthday ticket for the only ride of its kind in Africa.

All you need to do to claim your free birthday SKY-HI ride is book via Webtickets using your ID number as verification. This excludes the video of the experience, which can be bought for R50. Please note that this ride is weather-dependent.

It’s time to go for a ride – a Cape Wheel ride that is! Taking a ride on the famous Cape Wheel at the V&A Waterfront is without a doubt a MUST-DO Cape Town activity. In addition to being a bucket-list worthy experience, it promises to be a fun-filled and super exciting experience that will be thoroughly enjoyed by absolutely EVERYONE – from the young right through to the young at heart – AND if it happens to be your birthday, you get to enjoy a FREE ride on this iconic Cape Town attraction!

Sign up on the Cape Wheel’s website for their Birthday Club and fill out the application form to receive your FREE birthday Cape Wheel voucher via email, which is valid for 30 days after. Bring a printout of the voucher and your ID along to the ticket booth and enjoy your FREE ride!

Happy Snappy will also give you a complimentary A3 sized birthday photo when you purchase a photo pack after your ride. You will also receive their monthly newsletter to let you know about any other special deals and events going on.

In addition to it being an epic experience, the Cape Wheel boasts spectacular panoramic views across Granger Bay on one side, Robben Island in the distance, views of the renowned Table Mountain on the other end, as well as sights of Signal Hill and the Cape Town stadium, all from 40 metres above the ground. That’s not all! Riders will have below them the sight of giant container ships coming and going, large cruise and charter boats heading in and out of the harbour, kayakers accompanied by schools of dolphins as well as the possibility of spotting occasional whales that visit the bay from time to time.

BONUS: To add an extra special touch to your already exciting ride, you should definitely go on an unforgettable Cape Wheel sunset ride and watch the sun kiss Lion’s Head and Table Mountain good night. Not to mention enjoy stunning sunset views of the glorious Cape Town city skyline and beyond – Cape Town is known for its sensational sweep-you-off-your-feet sherbet-coloured sunsets after all!

The Zeitz Museum Of Contemporary Art Africa is situated in the Silo District of the Waterfront and is one of the cultural highlights of the continent.

The Zeitz MOCAA (Museum of Contemporary Art Africa) houses an outstanding collection of art from across the continent. This architectural marvel is home to both permanent and temporary exhibitions celebrating contemporary creativity from Africa and its diaspora – in fact, it’s the world’s largest museum of contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora.

It is a must-visit for all head-over-heels art-lovers and during your birthday month you get FREE entry on any day during your birthday month, excluding Mondays (as the Zeitz MOCAA is only open from Tuesday – Sunday). If you would like to take a friend with you, they will also be granted free access, provided it’s a Wednesday.

This offer is open to all South Africans and citizens with any valid African passport. Simply show your ID or passport as proof of identification.

Forgot to go in your birthday month? African citizens (show your passport or South African ID) can access Zeitz MOCAA for free every Wednesday from 10am -1pm. Under-18s can enjoy free access every day of the week.

Known as Cape Town’s first and finest outdoor movie experience, a visit to The Galileo Open Air Cinema should be on everyone’s Cape Town bucket-list. In Cape Town, the wildly popular Galileo Open Air Cinema is synonymous with summertime bliss, as it brings movie magic to majestic venues across Cape Town throughout the vibrant Mother City summer season.

This means that if your birthday falls between November to April – during The Galileo summer season when the open air cinema is in full swing – you can enjoy FREE entry by claiming the Galileo Birthday Special during your birthday week (which starts on a Monday and ends on a Sunday)!

During your Birthday Week, simply arrive at the door with your ID and receive a *FREE entry, a backrest, and a blanket! It’s as easy as that!

Even if a show is sold out The Galileo Open Air Cinema will always make provision to honour the birthday person. However, anyone accompanying the birthday person – AKA your Birthday entourage – must pre-book tickets to avoid disappointment. No sales will be allowed at the door if a show is sold out. Also remember that the Birthday Special does not apply to Special Screenings such as Halloween, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Valentine’s Day, and Easter.

For more information on The Galileo Open Air Cinema’s terms & conditions regarding movie screening times, ticket sales, weather, availability, and restrictions – visit their website.

Visit the Galileo Open Air Cinema’s website to stay up to date on all upcoming movies, schedules, venues, updates, exciting announcements, or to book your tickets.

Click here for everything you need to know about the Galileo Birthday Special.

Be a tourist in your home town on your special day and have a hop-on-hop-off red bus adventure exploring all the beauty Cape Town has to offer.

By becoming members of the City Sightseeing Kids’ Club kids between the ages of 5 – 15 years old will get to discover, experience, and explore the vibrant and exciting Mother City for FREE on their birthday with their free one-day classic bus ticket (ONLY valid for kids aged 5 – 15 years old). What’s more, the birthday boy or girl can also bring along one friend for free on the day (also aged between 5 – 15 years) to make their day of birthday exploration extra special! That’s not all! To top it off, kids who hop on board will also receive a fun activity pack!

Click here to sign up for the City Sightseeing Kids Club & find out everything you need to know.

Click here to sign up for the City Sightseeing Kids Club & find out everything you need to know.

Celebrate your birthday in style & enjoy the sweet side of life with a scenic ride along the famous Sea Point Promenade (or at any one of these locations) with UpCycles! There is no better or more exciting & fun way to discover and explore the city of Cape Town than on a bicycle, trust us! And, lucky for you, you get to enjoy this amazing adventure experience for free on your birthday!

That’s right! For one hour on your birthday you can enjoy an exhilarating bike ride free of charge, complimentary of UpCycles! All you need to do is to arrive on your actual birthday and bring your proof of identification / a valid South African ID along to UpCycles to claim your gift & get pedalling. Simple as that!

We recommend going for a sunset ride to experience the promenade and glorious city of Cape Town at its best. The Mother City is famous for her spectacular sherbet-coloured sunsets after all! However, irrespective of what time of day you choose to enjoy your complimentary birthday UpCycles bike ride, it promises to be an unforgettable experience!

Visit the UpCycles website for more information & everything you need to know