All you petrol heads had better get your collective buttocks into (ahem) gear as the biggest motor event in South African history is about to hit Joburg’s Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit. That’s right folks the Top Gear Festival (sponsored by BP Ultimate) opens with a bang on Thursday 17 March and doesn’t let up the excitement until Sunday 20 March. All the Top Gear favourites will be there: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig. They will be joined by a host of other motoring celebs including David Coulthard and the rest of the Red Bull Racing F1 team (with one of the cars), Jody Sheckter (and all of his F1 cars), Eddie Jordan and five-time Le Mans winner Derek Bell.

River Dance: As a child I used to sit and watch my grandparent’s VHS of Michael Flatley’s feet whiz by as he stepped and jumped to the music of River Dance. I loved to imagine myself as one of the beautiful and petite dancers, twirling and tapping and curtsying with such grace. Finally I got the chance to see the show live at the Grand Arena, Grand West Casino and for the most part I wasn’t disappointed.

Traditional Irish dancing has been a pastime for centuries and over the years has evolved into what we know today. As part of their South Africa tour, the River Dance cast and crew weighed anchor in Cape Town and will continue to wow its audience until 27 February.

The popular water-themed park in Durban, uShaka Marine World,  is a wonderful place to take the kids for a fun day spent splashing in the water and coming face-to-face with some of the most intriguing underwater animals. And now there is even more reason to visit this fun park: The Buccaneers’ performance.

According to What’s On! Last year’s Buccaneers show was popular but this year’s performance is set to be a “swashbuckling sequel”. The audience is in for a rum-filled treat as they’re introduced to Captain Morgan Freeman and Delilah Winterbottom. The story follows the Captain’s soft-spot for the lady, his mysterious crew and an eventual marriage.

I was fortunate to be on the invite list for the second Baxter Theatre “Taste, Tweet and Theatre” and took my partner along. It was to be an evening of tasting Diemersfontein wine, nibbling on canapés, mingling and watching a theatre show, and it did not disappoint.

The event was held at the Golden Arrow Studio at the Baxter and everyone who was invited was made to fill in a form for a lucky prize. We signed our names, got ourselves a glass each and took a few of the smoked chicken and beef canapés before finding a quiet spot to watch the proceedings. The whole idea of the evening was to enjoy the company food and drink while tweeting about the Baxter Theatre and Diemersfontein using the trend “BaxterTTT”. We met a number of avid tweeters and connected online. It was quite fun because the organisers had a projection of the tweets trending the Baxter Theatre and Diemersfontein on a screen so we could all see who was saying what and who had met whom.

The city of Durban is known for its laid-back locals, warm waters and full beaches. But what about its theatre? There are a few shows coming up at theatres in Durban that warrant an evening of cultural enjoyment.

The Catalina Theatre at Wilson’s Wharf will be hosting the Heels Over Head special theatre show from 3-6 March. According to the press release, the jazz band from Durban sees girl power striking out; the all-woman group won the Yamaha Young Talent Award last year. Their stage presence is a force to be reckoned with and the contemporary jazz they play is smooth. The show starts at 8pm except on the Sunday when it starts at 6pm. Tickets cost R60 per person and R120 per person with a CD. If you would like to book tickets call 031 305 6889 or book online at www.strictlytickets.com. If you would like to find out more information then email Marlyn on marlin@isupportdoyou.com.

A large number of people are petrified at the thought of standing behind a podium or onstage in front of hundreds of people and having to speak for more than a couple of seconds. Others thrive on it and welcome any opportunity to address a large audience. If you’re keen to find out more about speaking in public and live in Durban then head down to Sica’s Guest House on 24 March to catch the Professional Speakers Association of South Africa’s (PSASA) gala showcase breakfast.

Joining a group that aims to teach people how to be comfortable talking to a number of other people can be daunting and it can be so much fun. The non-profit organisation CIS Toastmasters offers everyday people a safe and supportive space in which to develop their communication skills. The group has operators all around the world so it won’t be difficult to find one near you.

I recently went to see a play written by Duncan Buwalda called Dream, Brother. It was staged at the Intimate Theatre at Hiddingh Campus in Cape Town, and was quite an impressive performance. It was a story perfect for such a small setting, as it involves the intricate day-to-day lives of accessible characters.

The play was directed by Tara Louise Notcutt and is an intimate look at four seemingly unconnected characters whose lives are unexpectedly and somewhat tragically intertwined.

A painter (woman) meets a writer (man) at a book reading and the first half of the play follows their magical tale as they fall in love with one another. They go for coffee together, recite poems to one another and basically find companionship together. The progression of their relationship is light, happy and carefree but is interrupted by the telling of another love story; that of a psychologist and his veterinary wife.

South Africa is capable of cinematic brilliance. If you don’t believe me think back to Yesterday, the story of a young mother in rural South Africa who finds out that she has been infected with HIV by her husband who works in the mines in Joburg. The film was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Film category in 2005. How about Tsosti, the film about a young thug who steals a car with a baby in it? It won the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 2006. The latest moving story of life in South Africa is told in Life Above All, a film which has HIV/AIDS in it but is really about the issues that women have to deal with on a daily basis; issues like abuse, unemployment and raising children in poverty.

Long Street in Cape Town is a familiar place to all those seeking a vibey destination for night-time fun. There are a number of fantastic clubs, restaurants and live music venues to choose from, Zula Sound Bar and Restaurant being one of them.

The Zula Bar philosophy follows a laid back but dedicated approach to our indigenous music and artistic culture; whatever night of the week you’ll find local bands, poetry-reading or comedy onstage. This venue’s goal is to provide a comfortable platform for creatives from Cape Town and beyond to showcase their talent.

On many occasions I’ve seen the dance floor and outside balcony packed to capacity. Bands like The Dirty Skirts, Hog Hoggidy Hog, Taxi Violence, Blaque Haze and The Plastics have played sets to audiences hungry for a good time.

If you’re a book lover and you live in Cape Town you’ve probably been to the Cape Town Book Fair at least once. I know I have and it was an awesome (in the true sense of the word) experience. I find that just walking into a book shop merits some degree of awe, so you can imagine the sensory overload of walking into an enormous Cape Town International Conference Centre (CTICC) hall and seeing it packed full of epic tomes, novels, factual books, dictionaries, atlases, kids’ books, short stories and every other form of the written word conceivable. Unfortunately for bibliophiles in the Mother City, the book fair has been cancelled this year and we have to somehow deal with the news that it might only become a bi-annual affair from 2012 on.