It is raining as we leave Cape Town. Considering that rain is the most pervasive feature of winter in the Mother City, this is hardly surprising. But this rain confounds even lifelong Capetonians — it pelts down on the windscreen from all directions, making visibility beyond two metres impossible.

Needless to say, our journey is slow. But by the time we reach Knysna, we have shed our winter skins — boots, scarves and coats lie in disarray around the car as we bask in the warm winter sunshine of the Garden Route.

I smile as I read one of the banners for the Pick 'n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival promising "the best 10 days of your winter". No rain, a balmy 20°C — mission accomplished.

But for those a little more difficult to please, the promise runs deeper. Even at the height of the summer festive season, it is hard to trump this sense of vibrancy. The town buzzes with the excitement of races still to be run, oysters yet to be eaten and the promise of raucous parties.

Festival-goers spill out of restaurants onto pavements lit up by strings of colourful lights. Traffic moves at a snail's pace through thongs of brightly-attired cyclists and children buzz around town; high on the excitement of carnival rides and too much candyfloss.

An adrenalin fix

Of the thousands descending on Knysna for the festival, the majority are athletes. Or at least outdoors-ey types. The sporting highlights are the marathon and the cycle tours, which each attracted over 6500 entrants in 2007. The mountain bike race, which has become one of the biggest on the South African biking calendar, attracts eager cyclists from all over the country.

The Salomon Featherbed Trail Run is a 13km scenic run which introduces runners to the magnificence of the Western Head of the Knysna Lagoon, while the Salomon Night Run and the Vaude Night Bike Ride see competitors racing their way through the forest at night with nothing to guide them but a headlamp.

With more than 20 sporting events, there is a little something for everyone — including pigeon racing, angling, swimming, adventure racing and a night run.

Shuck that oyster

The Knysna Oyster Festival is as much about good food as it is about sports. The Pick 'n Pay Oyster and Wine Mardi Gras has 25 top chefs competing for the honours as oyster chef extraordinaire, by preparing their most delectable oyster dish. The competition, which is wildly popular, sees 16 000 aphrodisiacal molluscs, together with complementary wines, being served up to 600 guests.

Slightly less professional, but no less entertaining, is the Oyster Shucking and Oyster Eating competitions. In the shucking competition, contestants are required to open 30 oysters as quickly as possible, while the oyster eating contest sees entrants trying to break the world record of consuming 522 oysters in five minutes!

And if that isn't indulgent enough, there is the three-day Whisky and Jazz festival hosted by Zest Restaurant in Pledge Square. The whisky festival introduces festinos to a variety of whiskies from around the globe — Chivas Regal, Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie, Jack Daniels, Wild Turkey, Knob Creek, Sazerac Rye and Killbeggen. Whisky aficionado Jason Duganzich educates guests on the difference between single malt and a blended malt whisky, while Zest owner Russell Kuhn lays out a lavish table of snacks including sushi and, of course, oysters.

Those with a passion for alcoholic beverages of a different kind can sample the latest releases of 40 of South Africa's top wine producers at the Wade Bales Wine Festival. Held at the prestigious Pezula Clubhouse, the festival gives wine-lovers the chance to meet the winemakers, taste current releases and learn more about the latest wine trends.

But not everything at the festival has an age restriction. Those with kids will be pleased to discover that there is entire festival programme for the little ones. With everything from a children's cycle tour to a variety of classes (cooking, art, dance and balloon modelling), keeping the kids busy won't be hard. And if all else fails, there is always the funfair at the carnival grounds.

Wow! With so much on offer, only the pathologically boring could fail to have fun. The best 10 days of your winter? Probably. The busiest? Definitely!

The Pick 'n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2008, and runs until 13 July. For more information check out www.oysterfestival.co.za.