The achievement continues Cape Town's 25-year track record of participation in the international Blue Flag programme and marks the fifth consecutive season in which eight City beaches have achieved full Blue Flag status.
The successful beaches were announced at the annual Blue Flag & Green Coast Awards ceremony at Grotto Blue Flag Beach in Hermanus yesterday, 8 October 2026, as municipalities across the country prepare for the summer beach season.

The eight beaches awarded full Blue Flag status for the 2026/27 season are:

• Bikini Beach
• Camps Bay Beach
• Clifton 4th Beach
• Fish Hoek Beach
• Llandudno Beach
• Melkbosstrand
• Muizenberg Beach
• Silwerstroomstrand

Four additional City beaches have been named Blue Flag pilot sites:

• Chapman’s Peak ( Hout Bay)
• Big Bay
• Strand
• Strandfontein

A Blue Flag pilot site enters a feasibility period during which its ability to meet the programme's international criteria is assessed.

The Blue Flag is an internationally recognised environmental certification programme operating across more than 50 countries. In South Africa, beaches must meet rigorous criteria relating to environmental education and management, water quality, safety, accessibility and public amenities.

Importantly, the programme is not simply a local recognition. It involves both a national and international adjudication process, with the programme in South Africa facilitated by the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA), which celebrates 100 years as an organisation this year. WESSA has co-ordinated the Blue Flag Programme since 2001, its inception in South Africa.

The programme's longevity in Cape Town reflects the City's sustained commitment to coastal management. Individual Cape Town beaches have also built long-standing Blue Flag records, with Clifton 4th, Bikini Beach and Muizenberg among the City's longest-serving participants.

For residents, Blue Flag recognition provides assurance that these beaches are being managed against demanding standards for water quality, safety, environmental management and public facilities. For Cape Town's tourism economy, it provides an internationally recognised benchmark that is familiar to visitors from South Africa and around the world. 

The City is also taking further steps to improve accessibility at our beaches. From this season, several City beaches – including most of the Blue Flag beaches – will have new amphibious wheelchairs, enabling access to the ocean for  beachgoers with mobility impairments.

‘Eight full Blue Flags and four pilot sites are significant recognition of the year-round work that goes into maintaining our beaches and preparing them for residents and visitors. I want to thank our frontline teams whose work helps us maintain these standards.

‘As we head into summer, we are also improving access through new amphibious wheelchairs at several beaches. With our lifeguards already deployed at designated swimming beaches, we urge residents and visitors to take the necessary precautions when enjoying our coastline.

Our beaches are an important part of the City’s natural and recreational environment, and we encourage everyone to help us protect them, keep them safe, clean and accessible for all, ’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Francine Higham.

The Recreation and Parks Department will continue working closely with other City departments and partners to maintain the high standards required for Blue Flag status and support ongoing efforts to improve access at the beaches.