The programme of the 2026 Cape Town Baroque Festival has a strong focus on musical instruments and instrumental repertoire from the baroque, and both celebrates and explores the many colours and expressive nuances offered by historical instruments. The festival opens on 19 September with a Baroque Woodwind study day (Event 1: Baroque Woodwind Study Day) that includes lecture presentations on a variety of period woodwind instruments, as well as masterclasses and performances by student ensembles. Folk/baroque crossover ensemble Here Be Dragons will present a concert of instrumental transcriptions of vocal music ranging from Guillaume de Machaut to JS Bach on the afternoon of 20 September (Event 2: Motet & Madrigal). On 24 September (Event 1: continued), the educational aspect of the festival continues: Visiting Dutch recorder virtuoso Erik Bosgraaf presents recorder masterclasses to advanced students.