If you have chosen to enjoy the calm of Gauteng over the festive season rather than brave the madness at the coast, cheers to you! The good news is that the Four Seasons at Westcliff, Johannesburg, has prepared a glamorous and entertaining programme of special events to celebrate the fast-approaching festive season. A series of exciting occasions, sumptuous meals and exclusive leisure activities await hotel guests and visitors who wish to enjoy a truly authentic, stylish and memorable South African Christmas celebration.

Festivities begin at the Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff on Christmas Eve and continue right through until New Year, including events at both of the hotel’s two sought-after restaurants, the open-air contemporary barbeque-based Flames, and the avant-garde flagship View, which boasts some of the city’s most magnificent vistas and dramatic Highveld sunsets. The special menus that Chef Keith Frisley and Chef Daniel Payne have prepared for the festive season encapsulate the spirit of tradition with an exciting twist that makes Christmas in South Africa unique.

CHRISTMAS EVE

The celebrations kick off on Christmas Eve with a family-style dinner at Flames, which includes an à la carte menu with festive classics such as traditional roast turkey with chipolatas, cranberry stuffing and Cumberland sauce.

Other mouth-watering mains include Norwegian salmon with dill mayo and a grilled beef fillet with pomme reblochon, truffle and forest mushroom. Christmas Eve dinner also features a show-stopping cheese table stacked with whole cheeses, crackers, lavash, and delectable homemade chutneys and preserves. Guests will be entertained by the Soweto Gospel Choir, Johannesburg’s very own Grammy award-winning “Voices of Heaven” to transport the spirit as the views carry the eye. (R1 200 per person).

Dinner at View, always preceded by a panoramic Johannesburg golden sunset on the deck, offers View’s famous creative presentation, sophisticated micro-seasonal dishes and inspirational local flavours with a fresh Christmassy spin. To begin with, Christmas Eve dinner kicks off with spiced pumpkin buns, fruited mosbolletjies with candied pecan and pumpkin seed butter, followed by langoustine carpaccio. Next, oxtail consommé served with braised oxtail tortellini, precedes lamb shoulder with truffled polenta. Milk and cookies follow with; guests will receive a gift of traditional spiced Christmas cake to take home. (R1 950 per person).

CHRISTMAS DAY

At Flames, Christmas Day will be celebrated with a leisurely brunch from 10am to 3pm, which includes a raw bar with caviar, oysters, sushi and charred beef tataki. There is also a charcuterie table, crisp and fresh vegan salads and delicious cold starters. These are a prelude to a merry choice of hot mains led by a traditional roast turkey with chipolatas, cranberry stuffing and Cumberland sauce. Norwegian salmon, grilled beef fillet or braised pork cheeks with red cabbage round off the menu with a vegetarian offering of ricotta gnudi. (R1 450 per person).

Soulful acoustic-driven sounds of musical duo Bruce & Fresk – Cameron Bruce, the singer and guitarist of Idols fame, and dazzling American pianist John Fresk – will provide the evening’s entertainment.

Christmas lunch at View consists of a five-course menu and dinner is a six-course menu with variations on the Christmas Eve dinner, including the langoustine carpaccio, seabass with fennel, and oxtail consommé, culminating with the traditional Christmas turkey with pistachio stuffing. Christmas cake, of course, is among the dessert offerings. (R1 600 per person)

BOXING DAY

Flames will serve an Upgrade Brunch with salads inspired by seasonal foraging in the hotel’s home ground garden and local farms.

NEW YEAR’S EVE

Lunch finishes early on New Year’s Eve to begin preparation for the evening festivities. At Flames, dinner begins with a starter buffet with a live station serving sushi and oysters, as well as cured, smoked and raw offerings. The main course offers a selection of five à la carte items for the main course, including pan seared line fish with dill mayo, and thyme and garlic roast chicken. A cheese table will be piled high with a selection of local cheeses, preserves, crackers, panettone and grapes, and of course, a selection of festive deserts will follow.

Music and dancing begin at 8pm with live music performed by Badwolf, a fresh five-piece band from Johannesburg well known for their hip, groove-based approach and creative interpretations of well-loved hits and classics. (R2 100 per person).

View will serve a special New Year’s Eve Dinner, after which guests are invited to join in the dancing, entertainment and festivities at Flames before toasting the arrival of the New Year at midnight. Dinner begins with seeded country buns, black truffle and almond mosbolletjies with foie gras butter. It is followed by courgette gazpacho, langoustine cappuccino, quail in the forest, and duck magret, a sous vide duck breast. Desert will be a deconstructed peach cobbler with cinnamon and Champagne. (R2 500 per person).

Jacaranda Hill and our new venue right beneath it will be transformed into an edgy 2 Storey venue for an epic New Year’s – 2 Storey Party on the Hill!! Featuring 2 DJ’s including DJ Abby Nurock, famous for her extensive collection of vinyl and classic Technics. Her repertoire covers vocal, techno and disco. What better way to usher in 2019? Starts at 10pm until late. VIP seating and bottle service is available. (R995 per ticket)