Getting to Paternoster

Paternoster is a fishing village on the Atlantic coast of the Western Cape, about 145 kilometres north of Cape Town — an hour and three quarters by car on good roads, most of it through wheat fields and then, suddenly, the sea. The nearest town is Vredenburg, fifteen minutes away. The nearest airport is Cape Town International.

Die Koelkamers Teater

The festival’s home and main screening venue: a converted cold-storage building in the middle of the village, now the West Coast’s cultural hub. Seated cinema, a stage for live performance and Q&As, and a bar. [ Address • seating capacity • accessibility ]

Paternoster Beach

Our largest venue, and free. Dawn swims, ocean immersions, land art, story circles, yoga and the fire. Weather-dependent sessions have an indoor alternative published on the day.

Information About Paternoster

Contact us for more info

GETTING HERE

  • By car — N7 north from Cape Town, then the R45 and R27 through Vredenburg. About 1 hour 45 minutes. Parking in the village is free but limited during the festival; we will publish a parking map in March.
  • By air — fly into Cape Town International and hire a car. There is no public transport to Paternoster.
  • Shared transport — we run a festival shuttle from Cape Town on the opening and closing days. Book it with your ticket. (Please note shuttle is TBC)

WHERE TO STAY

  • Paternoster has guest houses, self-catering cottages and hotels across a wide price range, and the village fills up in April — book early. We will publish a list of accommodation partners offering festival rates in November, together with a small number of shared houses for filmmakers.

WHAT TO EXPECT

  • The weather. April on the West Coast is mild and beautiful — around 22°C by day, dropping fast after sunset. Bring a warm jacket for the evenings.
  • The water. The Atlantic here is between 12°C and 15°C. That is genuinely cold, and it is part of the point. All water activities are supervised, optional, and no one will look at you strangely for staying on the sand.
  • The village. Paternoster is a working fishing community, not a resort. Please treat it as somewhere people live.

  • Accessibility. Wheelchair access and special parking

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