Leisure Isle Festival features more than 100 exhibitors catering for all tastes.

The Leisure Isle Festival will be held in the recently upgraded entrance gardens of Leisure Isle over the weekend of 22 & 23 October commencing at 9am on Saturday and early on Sunday for those wishing to view the rugby whilst having a snack breakfast supplied by our exhibitors. This, the ninth year of this popular event, will again feature over one hundred attractions with something for every member of the family. It’s a great opportunity to chill out in the idyllic garden setting and feast on the wide variety of foods on offer.

All members of the family are catered for – art & craft, book sale, activities for the kiddies, plant sale, doggie walks, sumptuous food and produce to take away, beer garden, TV coverage of the world cup final per compliments of Kloppers, and most important of all lots and lots to eat and drink.

Artists and crafters will be exhibiting paintings, ceramics, pottery, woodwork, beadwork, candles, soaps, glasswork, confectionery, scrap-booking etc. Professionals, amateurs and beginners are all welcome. In close proximity to the tea and beer gardens a group of dedicated book lovers are running an exciting book sale. Excellent publications are on sale and the organisers will assist you to find that special publication. A variety of stalls will be selling snacks, lunches and delicious sweet goodies whilst cool-drinks, water and smoothies will be available for the thirsty.

Across the road there will be home produce stalls, plant nursery, stalls catering for young families and other options to satisfy the hunger pangs. A wide variety of pastas, lasagna, curry and rice and rolls will be on sale for consumption in the gardens, or for take away. Mugg & Bean will offer their normal menu whilst cool drinks and ice cream will also be on sale. Why not bring your rugs and relax under the trees and enjoy the luscious goodies on sale. As a result of increased demand a new area for art and craft is being opened under the trees on the north side of the gardens.

Steenbok Nature Reserve is again staging a massive plant stall featuring indigenous and other plants. A tremendous variety of plants, herbs, cut flowers and compost will be on sale at very attractive prices. The home produce stalls will offer confectionary, dried fruit, frozen meals, cheese, jams, preserves and honey, fresh produce and vegetables, biltong and meat products, frozen fish, pickles, cakes and biscuits, nuts, olive and chili products, sweets, etc.

A jumping castle, barrel train, face painting, balloons, candy floss, sand art, mosaics, and other kiddies’ activities will be provided to entertain the kids while Moms and Dads are relaxing and socializing.

The Embroidery Exhibition which displays on Leisure Isle every second year will showcase at Cearn Hall stunning work produced recently by members and friends of The Knysna Embroiderer’s Guild. It will include stumpwork, cross stitch, ribbon embroidery, long and short, hardanger, gold work, quilting and pulled thread. The organisers are confident that this exhibition will again be a popular draw card.

For even more variety visitors can also visit the Island Coffee and Antiques shops, Tides Restaurant and the Leisure Isle Gallery.

Animal Welfare, with Hill’s Pet Nutrition as sponsor, are staging the Doggie and Human Walk which is so popular each year. This year the event has been arranged for the Saturday so as not to clash with the rugby final. Those without dogs are invited to join the walk and to bring their favourite teddy or fluffy toy. There will be 2km and 5km walks with entry fee of R30 per dog.

Prizes will be awarded for:

• Dog of the year
• KAWS adopted pets
• Best tail wagger
• Best effort dog walker
• Best trick dogs
• Look a like kids and adults
• Fancy dress for dogs & kids
• Best smiler
• Best barker
• Cutest puppy
• Funniest dog walker

Entries will be registered on the Saturday from 9:00 at the Steenbok Nature Reserve main entrance – follow the KAWS signs. Events will commence punctually at 10:00.

All proceeds from the Festival are channeled to local charities. The four main beneficiaries are Hospice, “E” pap School Enrichment Programme, Knysna Animal Welfare and Steenbok Nature Reserve.