Cape Town is set to become a meeting point for photographers and visual storytellers when the Cape Town Photography Festival returns for its second edition in September, Cape {town} Etc reports.
Running from 2 to 26 September 2026, the festival has grown significantly since its launch, with this year’s programme featuring 40 exhibitions and more than 160 photographers across venues throughout the city.
The expanded festival will also take photography beyond traditional gallery spaces, with new locations including the Castle of Good Hope and Company’s Garden.
At the heart of this year’s festival is a question that feels increasingly relevant in a world flooded with images: can photographs still be trusted?
Festival Director Heidi Erdmann believes the answer is more complicated than simply saying yes or no.
‘Photography has long been trusted as evidence, but today images can be easily manipulated, re-contextualised and weaponised.’
Rather than attempting to establish one definitive version of the truth, the festival will explore how photographs influence the way people understand events, communities and the world around them.
Photography moves into public spaces
One of the highlights will be Cape Rhythm: Goema, Klopse & Memory, an outdoor exhibition in the Company’s Garden examining the connection between photography, Cape Town’s musical traditions and its cultural history.
The programme will also feature I Witnessed This at the Desmond and Leah Tutu Foundation. Curated by Pippa Hetherington, the exhibition brings together photographic perspectives from across Africa.
Visitors will also be introduced to photographic stories from Reunion Island, offering a wider look at visual narratives emerging from across the Indian Ocean.
For those wanting something more hands-on, PICHA Stock from Nairobi will host workshops focused on practical engagement with photography while highlighting the African visual storytelling platform.
The festival’s International Student Photography Exhibition has also expanded dramatically. It is now four times larger than last year and will feature emerging photographers across three venues.
Photography will also take over the Central Library, making local and international work accessible to people outside conventional gallery settings.
The organisers say the wider programme is designed to encourage audiences to interact with photography in different ways, rather than simply walking through exhibitions.
There will be conversations, workshops, a masterclass, demonstrations, a film screening and guided photography walks throughout the festival.
For Erdmann, becoming a better viewer is just as important as understanding photography itself.
She encourages audiences to look beyond the photograph itself and consider who created it, why it was made and what might not be visible within the frame.
The festival’s expansion into spaces such as the Castle of Good Hope and Company’s Garden also gives audiences the chance to experience photography against some of Cape Town’s most recognisable historic settings.
Ultimately, the organisers hope visitors leave with a greater curiosity about the images they encounter every day.
‘I hope the festival encourages people to slow down, to look a little longer and to be curious about the stories behind the images.’
The Cape Town Photography Festival runs from 2 to 26 September 2026 at various venues across Cape Town.
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