Montagu's 5th Herb Festival | What a weekend!

I realise the ‘clock has struck midnight’ and everything has returned to normal in our little town. The Herb Festival banners are down, the gnomes have returned to wherever they came from, the marketplace vendors have cleared out, and the speakers have checked out. But somehow, a little of this year’s Herb Fest magic has remained in my heart and needs to be articulated so that, for those who read this, you’ll realise what a special community event this is and why it deserves to be added to your small-town festival wishlist. 

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When I first wrote about the Montagu Herb Festival last year, it was from the perspective of a wide-eyed newcomer - a volunteer for a couple of hours, experiencing the buzz, colours, scents, and energy from the sidelines. But it was clear, even then, that this annual festival - celebrating community, creativity, connection, (and herbs, of course) - is something special.

I was only catching a glimpse of the real heartbeat behind it. 

Fast forward a year, and the story has taken on a new dimension. This year, I stepped off the bench and into the heart of the festival — working alongside a passionate team that brings it all together, and being part of the brainstorming, problem-solving conversations, and shared excitement that shape this one-of-a-kind event.

I was privileged to experience the pulse of the festival behind the scenes and work with some remarkable individuals. 

With that shift came a deeper appreciation: for the months of planning, for the countless hands that make light work, and for the magic that happens when a committed team and community rally around something they truly believe in.

I got to witness just how much passion and collaboration go into making Montagu’s Herb Festival flourish and how community spirit fuels it.  

If last year was about discovering the magic, this year was about understanding how it’s made and why it matters.

My highlights from this year’s festival—and what I learned on the inside:

The worker bees and a fly on the wall

Picture this: a small room in Montagu buzzing like a hive. Around the table sit a handful of volunteers — notebooks open, pens scribbling, and coffee mugs in hand, coupled with palpable energy and positivity.

The conversation darts from logistics to layout, from budgets to bunting, from how to squeeze in one more vendor stall to who can fetch the extra tables and who’s ordering the banners. 

Titles and names don’t matter here — what matters is the sheer determination of a group of people who pooled their skills and experience to make it all happen. 

It’s a case study in what happens when individuals from the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, and Generation X bring their values and work ethic into one space. (And yes, that hints at the age range of the committee!) 

If you’d been a fly on the wall, you’d have been struck by the sheer scale of the to-do list, the calm way tasks were divvied up, and the quiet confidence that, somehow, it would all get done. And it did.

The speakers - who are ‘dotty’ about plants

This year’s Herb Festival, held in collaboration with the Museum’s Herb Project, carried the theme of ‘shared traditions’ — a vision that brings together both knowledge-sharers and knowledge-seekers.

This positions the festival as a gathering place for an impressive lineup of speakers who are delightfully and unapologetically ‘dotty’ about plants and their healing powers. 

Think botanists, phytotherapists, Cape Bush doctors, traditional healers, doctors of botanical medicine, mycologists, cannabis advocates, chemical analysts, fermentation specialists, plant whisperers, shamans, horticulturalists, permaculture farmers, holistic vets, and even a pharmacist-turned-homeopath.

Together, they create an accessible platform where curious minds can dive into plant wisdom, indigenous herblore, science, and story.

I met some of them, and what a down-to-earth bunch they proved to be. Their passion shone through as they chatted about the healing power of herbs, the cultural significance of indigenous plants, and the urgent need for conservation and sustainability.

You couldn’t help but walk away inspired, with a deeper appreciation for the beauty and wonder growing all around us.

The workshops - playing with mud, straw, petals, and essential oils

While the talks fed your mind, the workshops awakened your senses. The Herb Festival’s hands-on sessions were carefully curated to offer something for everyone — young and old, curious beginner, or seasoned plant lover.

Over the weekend, you could roll up your sleeves and design a permaculture garden, get muddy building a wood-fired cob oven (and then taste the reward by baking flatbread in it), or indulge your 'inner gypsy' by weaving a flower crown.

You could try your hand at making incense cones, explore the textures of plants in a botanical art workshop, or discover the alchemy behind distilling essential oils.

What unfolds is not simply a programme of events, but a rich, immersive journey into learning, creating, and connecting. By the end, you leave with memories, new skills, new friendships, and perhaps even a little more dirt under your fingernails than when you arrived.

The guided outdoor walks - learning from nature

Montagu, situated at the gateway to the Klein Karoo, is a botanical crossroads where three globally significant biomes overlap: Succulent Karoo, Fynbos, and Renosterveld, creating a rich reservoir of plant diversity.

The Herb Festival’s guided walks are the perfect way to step into this extraordinary natural classroom.

Led by local experts, each walk reveals the intricate relationships between plants, pollinators, soil, and climate.

One moment you might be introduced to the delicate architecture of a rare fynbos bloom (and its Latin name), the next to the hardy adaptations of a succulent that survives on little more than dew. Along the way, indigenous herbs and medicinal plants are identified - not just by name, but by story, healing properties, tradition, and ecological role.

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks. - John Muir

For me, this was the festival’s ‘ground zero’ — the point where knowledge shifts from abstract to tangible; a chance to connect directly with the landscape and its botanical heritage. 

This is where my ‘knowledge collecting’ occurred. 

Out on the trails, surrounded by the vastness of the veld and the intricate detail of its plants, I felt both grounded and expanded. Surrounded by such biodiversity, I realised that every step in this ‘great outdoors ‘is a reminder of both the fragility and resilience of the ecosystems we’re privileged to walk through.

The chefs' demos - new to the festival menu

A brand-new addition to this year’s Herb Festival, the pop-up culinary demos quickly became a crowd favourite — proof that nothing brings people together quite like food. 

It’s not every day you get to meet local chefs up close, watching them in real time as they weave a little herb-inspired magic into their dishes.

Designed to showcase the versatility of local herbs, five Montagu chefs stepped up to the plate, each bringing their own food philosophy, creativity, and vibrant personality to the table.

What unfolded was storytelling through flavour, with each dish reflecting a journey rooted in both heritage and innovation.

There was sizzling, frying, whipping, rolling, pouring, steaming, and basting (plus the nutritious sprinkling in of microgreens), resulting in interactive, inspirational, and memorable moments.

Standouts included smoked ostrich and buchu dumplings with spekboom pickle, and the unexpected deliciousness of kapokbos ice cream — proof that the Herb Festival continues to push the boundaries of how we think about food.

A little whimsy - garden gnomes & fynbos fairies 

Every festival has its legends, and ours come in the form of real-life garden gnomes who seem to appear as if by enchantment. 

Adopted as the Herb Festival’s mascots, they returned this year with baby Robin, the tiniest (and undeniably cutest) addition to their whimsical clan, who quickly stole everyone’s hearts.

We cannot take credit for summoning these delightful folklore characters in our corner of the Klein Karoo; it seems to be the spirit of the Herb Festival itself that draws them out, often accompanied by a fynbos fairy.

Gnome spotting has quickly become a favourite festival pastime, and this year was no exception.

If you managed to snag a selfie with them, you’ll know just how infectious their cheer is. And if not — here’s hoping they’ll be back next year to sprinkle a little more fun and mischief over the festivities.

The marketplace - shopping small and supporting local

If the Herb Festival has a heartbeat, it’s the pop-up marketplace. Built on the principles of slow shopping and responsible consumerism, it’s a celebration of handcrafted products, organic produce, and artisanal wares — a place where buying local feels less like a transaction and more like a connection.

Over the festival weekend, the pop-up market transformed the Old Mission Church into a herb-lover’s haven. Eighteen vendors filled the space with colour, craftsmanship, conversation, and their personal touch. 

Stalls brimmed with herbal remedies, plant-based skincare, medicinal tea blends, tinctures, essential oils, books, ceramics, limited-edition merchandise, plants, and even pet products.

Shoppers could taste, smell, and feel their way through the offerings, while chatting directly with the makers themselves.

Looking back, it’s hard to believe how much my own perspective has shifted in just a year. What started as a few hours of volunteering on the sidelines has grown into a deeper journey of involvement, learning, and connection. 

Being part of the team behind the Herb Festival gave me a front-row seat to the extraordinary community spirit that powers this heritage event—and it left me with a renewed sense of gratitude for being part of something bigger. 

At its core, Montagu’s Herb Festival is about people coming together — to share traditions, to pass on knowledge, and to be faithful stewards of our surrounding natural landscape.

But the real gift of the Herb Festival? You carry a little piece of it with you when you leave. 

Till next time….

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Written by Leanne Johnson