Things to Do in Johannesburg in December
December weather, activities, events & insider tips
Shoulder Season · Good Value
December Weather in Johannesburg
Temperature, rainfall and humidity at a glance
77°F (25°C)
High Temp
58°F (14°C)
Low Temp
5.1 inches (130 mm)
Rainfall
70%
Humidity
⚠ Severe afternoon thunderstorms bring heavy downpours, lightning, localized flash flooding. Seek shelter indoors when clouds build.
Is December Right for You?
Weigh the advantages and considerations before booking
Advantages
- + December is Johannesburg's summer solstice. Days stretch to nearly 14 hours of daylight. You get more time to explore before the sudden 6:30 PM sunset.
- + The city empties out in late December. Locals head for the coast. Major attractions like the Apartheid Museum and Constitution Hill become surprisingly manageable.
- + The jacarandas have shed their purple blooms. The Highveld grasslands come alive with wildflowers. They turn the hills around the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden into a patchwork of yellows and reds.
- + Summer thunderstorms are a spectacle in themselves. Brief, violent, and followed by air that smells of wet earth and eucalyptus. Dramatic cloudscapes gather over the Magaliesberg.
Considerations
- − Those afternoon thunderstorms aren't a gentle drizzle. They're convective downpours that can drop 20 mm (0.8 inches) in 30 minutes. They flood low-lying roads in Braamfontein and force sudden indoor retreats.
- − This is peak holiday season for South Africans. Johannesburg itself thins out. Yet domestic flight prices to get here and car rental availability become a genuine scramble if you book late.
- − The UV index hits 8. This is the kind of sun that burns through cloud cover. A two-hour walking tour of Soweto's Vilakazi Street can leave you with a peeling-neck souvenir if you skimp on sunscreen.
Best Activities in December
Top things to do during your visit
Johannesburg in December hits 25°C by midday, then the sky cracks open. Thunder rolls over sun-baked tar and the first fat drops smell like hot iron. Locals have already vanished from the streets. Schools are shut, cars head for the coast, and the city exhales. You get green suburbs, wet township dust, and a slower pulse if you know when to step outside. Work the weather, not against it. Dawn is clear, sharp, good for pavement coffee in Maboneng or a loop through the Rosebank Sunday Market before the clouds stack. By two the wind lifts, temperature dips, rain drums on corrugated roofs. Shift indoors later. Museums love a thunderstorm.
Private Half Day Authentic Soweto Tour from Johannesburg or Pretoria
guided_experienceDrives straight past the monuments and into real life. Vilakazi Street's brick homes glitter against tin shacks, vendors shout prices, the Hector Pieterson Memorial stops you cold. Guides live here. They will detour to a shebeen for sorghum beer and unscripted stories if you ask.
Exploring Johannesburg through Skateboarding - incl. skate lesson for beginners!
otherTurns concrete plazas into a moving viewing deck. You feel wheel buzz through your shoes, see murals flash past at knee height, hear the instructor over taxi hooters. It is the quickest way to scrape the postcard layer off the city.
Insider tip: Slap on SPF50; high-altitude sun in December burns through cloud.
Exclusive Classic Flight for Two
private_tourLifts you above the northern suburbs' tree ocean to the regimented grids of Soweto. Mine dumps shine like pale gold, the vintage aircraft banks gentle, the pilot narrates through your headset. Nothing else shows you how vast the City of Gold is.
Insider tip: Book the first slot after a storm. Air is crystal, clouds still sculpting themselves.
Half Day Apartheid Museum Tour
culturalStarts the moment you enter through a race-classification turnstile. Photographs, testimonies, wire cages, a hushed courtyard. The building itself indicts. You cannot claim to know Johannesburg if you skip this.
Insider tip: Sit in the café afterwards. The content drains you.
LocalPlaces Understanding Johannesburg Walking Tour
walking_tourTracks downtown's revival block by block. Independent roasters perfume former warehouses, murals climb five storeys, entrepreneurs code in coffee queues. Guides thread Maboneng and Braamfontein, translating ambition into stories.
Insider tip: Soles with tread. Summer rain slicks the pavement fast.
Johannesburg and Apartheid Museum and Soweto Guided Full-Day Tour
day_tripCompresses a nation's arc into nine hours. Morning exhibits deliver facts, afternoon streets deliver noise. You taste kota at a Soweto diner and crane your neck at Orlando Towers. One day, two worlds.
Insider tip: Pack water and a hat. Distances are long and December sun doubles back after storms.
Where to Stay in Johannesburg in December
Hand-picked hotels across price tiers for December travellers.
December Events & Festivals
What's happening during your visit
Mid December
Carols by Candlelight at the Johannesburg Zoo
A uniquely Johannesburg tradition. As dusk falls, thousands gather on the lawns with candles. The scent of citronella mixes with night-blooming flowers. The choir's voices echo past the big cat enclosures, and you might hear a lion's distant rumble as accompaniment. It's festive, slightly surreal, and local.
Thursday evenings throughout December
The December Night Market at 44 Stanley
This curated weekly market in Milpark transforms into a festive evening affair. The sound of live Afro-jazz blends with the clink of craft gin glasses, the smell of wood-fired pizza and gourmet boerewors rolls fills the courtyard, and string lights glow in the humid night air. It's less about shopping and more about soaking up the laid-back, creative Johannesburg summer vibe.
Packing Checklist
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Climate-specific gear, brand recommendations, and what to leave at home.
View Johannesburg Packing List →Essential Tips
Insider knowledge and common pitfalls to avoid
Insider Knowledge
Locals hit Neighbourgoods Market in Braamfontein before 11 AM Saturday. After that, heat and crowds spike. Storm threat looms.
Caught in a city thunderstorm? Duck into Market Theatre complex in Newtown. Browse galleries, catch a matinee, sip rooibos while lightning forks over the skyline.
December is mango season. Street vendors sell boxes of Tommy Atkins or Kent mangoes for R50. Juice runs to your elbows.
Smaller galleries and museums in Johannesburg, like Wits Art Museum, stay air-conditioned and quiet in December. Two-hour culture break. Perfect.
Avoid These Mistakes
Underestimate sun plus altitude and you will burn. A cool morning still delivers UV. Apply sunscreen first thing.
Skip long-distance day trips to Drakensberg or Kruger in December. Peak domestic travel clogs roads. Focus within 150 km (93 miles) of Johannesburg.
Do not assume restaurants, shops, or attractions open Christmas and Boxing Day (Dec 25-26). Many close. Check hours.
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