Cape Town Cocktail Week announces the launch of its Education Programme, with Kurt Schlechter, the visionary behind multiple award-winning Cause Effect Cocktail Kitchen, appointed as Director of Education.
Mount Nelson, a Belmond Hotel, has come on board as the host venue for the programme, which will be delivered within the grand dame’s first-class conference facilities.
Here, seminars, panels and masterclasses led by local and international speakers will open the festival, which runs from 7–13 December 2026.
- The global bar community is invited to submit presentation proposals, while brand partners interested in powering the programme are equally encouraged to get in touch.
Schlechter will work closely with festival founder Leah van Deventer to shape final curation.
The pair has a proven track record of mentorship, between them accumulating nine appearances in Drinks International’s Bar World 100 – an annual list that identifies individuals effecting meaningful change in their communities.
Van Deventer is also the reigning Mentor of the Year at South Africa’s Bar & Beverage Awards, while Schlechter holds the title of Industry Icon at the same. The Education Programme builds on the foundations of this authentic investment in the local industry.
“Education only works when it’s embedded in the industry it’s meant to serve,” says Schlechter. Cape Town Cocktail Week, a home-grown festival designed to promote cocktail culture in the city, offers exactly the right ecosystem.”
“With our combined passion and experience, Leah and I know how to deliver something that’s credible and comprehensive, and that genuinely serves the community we’ve spent decades mentoring,” he continues.
“The Education Programme is a natural extension of what Cape Town Cocktail Week stands for, and with nearly 30 years spearheading education across the continent, Kurt is the right person to lead it,” says Van Deventer.
“We’re Capetonians building something for Cape Town that can take its place in the global industry calendar,” she continues.
Set beneath Table Mountain, Mount Nelson brings heritage and hospitality credentials that align with the programme’s ambitions. It’s also the home of Planet Bar, one of the city’s pioneering cocktail venues, and the first to make it into the prestigious World’s 50 Best Bars list, in 2009.
“Mount Nelson – a quintessential Cape Town hotel synonymous with the very best of this city – is ideal as the educational heart of the festival,” says Van Deventer.
“We are thrilled to partner with Cape Town Cocktail Week to host this year’s Education Programme,” says Clement Edwards, Assistant F&B Manager at Mount Nelson. “By providing a world-class setting, we aim to inspire creativity and learning, while celebrating Cape Town as a hub for innovation and knowledge-sharing through mindful mixology.”
Schlechter and Van Deventer’s collaboration on education is not new. The two previously ran Bar Unity, a four-week intensive training programme that uplifted participants from one of Cape Town’s most under-resourced communities.
Coincidently, one graduate, Keenan Williams, is now bartending at Planet Bar.
“It’s something of a full-circle moment as Leah and I begin this next chapter in upliftment, together with the Mount Nelson – a fitting symbol of what structured, community-rooted education can produce,” says Schlechter.
Submit a seminar proposal
The call for submissions is open now, with places limited. Industry professionals, educators, and communicators are invited to propose sessions that contribute to skills development and innovation within the global drinks space.
Deadline: 5 June 2026. Submit at: https://bit.ly/CTCW26EdProg
Brand partnerships: kurt@capetowncocktailweek.com or leah@capetowncocktailweek.com
