Sugar Bay Camp Turns 25: Celebrating 25 Years in Zinkwazi Beach, KZN
- Sugar Bay
- 3 hours ago
- 8 min read
Sugar Bay Camp turned 25 in August 2026.
We marked the birthday during Sweet & Sour Week, our school holiday camp from 16 to 23 August 2026 in Zinkwazi Beach on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast. It was a fitting week for it. Camp was full, the programme was deliberately ridiculous in places, there were sweets everywhere, and Saturday was set aside for a proper Sugar Bay birthday party.
For families who have known Sugar Bay camp for years, it was a chance to look back. For newer parents, it was also a fairly good introduction to what this place has become since opening in 2001: a kids-only sleepover camp where children aged 7 to 17 spend their school holidays making friends, choosing their own activities and learning to manage a little more independence away from home.
Twenty-five years later, Sugar Bay camp is still here in Zinkwazi Beach, still running campfires, still filling cabins and still finding new things for campers to do.
25 years of Sugar Bay Camp in Zinkwazi Beach
Sugar Bay opened in 2001 on the KZN North Coast.
The idea was based on the American summer camp model, adapted for South African school holidays and our coastal setting in Zinkwazi Beach. Children stay at camp without their parents, live in cabins with other campers and have access to a large free-choice activity programme.
That free-choice part remains important. Sugar Bay now offers more than 100 activities, but campers are not expected to follow exactly the same schedule as everyone else. A child who wants to surf can surf. Someone else might choose BMX, climbing, paintball, kayaking, skating, sport, dance or an art activity.
That means two children can spend the same week at Sugar Bay and come home talking about completely different things.
Over the years there have been new facilities, new activities, new themes and plenty of campers who later returned as counselors. The basic rhythm of camp, however, is very recognisable: cabins, activity sign-ups, meals together, evening programmes, friendships, campfires and considerably less screen time than most children would manage at home during a school holiday.
Sweet & Sour Week became our 25th birthday week
For the 25th birthday, we did not plan a formal anniversary programme and expect children to spend a week being sentimental about Sugar Bay's history.
They were at camp. They wanted to have fun.
Sweet & Sour Week was therefore built around candy, competition and messy challenges. The programme moved through marshmallow, jelly, coloured candy, biscuit and chocolate themes, with a sweet side and a sour side competing throughout the week.
Marshmallow Madness included challenges such as marshmallow towers, marshmallow basketball and the now slightly infamous Marshmallow Avalanche. Jelly Day brought jelly races and equally questionable sour-tasting challenges. Later in the week came candy competitions, biscuit activities, Party Night and the Sugar Bay Fire Show.
There was still a full free-choice camp programme running alongside the theme, with activities including surfing, body boarding, kayaking, SUP, pool swimming, climbing, BMX, paintball, sport, creative activities and plenty more.
Campers also headed to Durban's Golden Mile during the week. The excursion programme included time at Addington Beach, with surfing, body boarding, SUP, sea swimming, skating and karts.
For parents searching for a kids holiday camp near Durban or Ballito, that is part of what makes Sugar Bay's location useful. Camp itself is in the quieter coastal village of Zinkwazi Beach, while Durban and other North Coast attractions can still form part of selected camp excursions.
View more photos on our Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19fUaPqC24/
Saturday, 22 August: Sugar Bay's 25th birthday celebration
Saturday was the actual birthday celebration.
Owners Zoë and Nic Ellender joined the campers and staff with their daughter Tao for a day that felt much more like Sugar Bay than a formal anniversary event ever could.
The birthday programme included a chocolate-themed celebration, games, sweet treats and plenty of time for campers to enjoy the occasion together.
We also unveiled Sugar Bay's brand-new heated pool for the first time.
Adding something new felt appropriate for a 25th birthday. Sugar Bay has changed continually since 2001, and campers during Sweet & Sour Week were the first group to be part of this particular addition to camp.
The afternoon became considerably messier.
The Sweet versus Sour competition that had been running through the week reached its conclusion with the counselor messy fight. Campers gathered around their teams before the fight eventually became the sort of controlled chaos everyone had been waiting for.
Afterwards came the final pool party, banner signing and one last campfire.
By the end of the day there was no need for an elaborate speech about 25 years of Sugar Bay. The cabins were full, campers were laughing with people they had met that week, counselors were covered in the remains of a messy fight and everyone had one final night of camp ahead of them.
That said enough.
Read More: Parenting Hub Feature - 25 Years of Sugar Bay Camp: A Place Where Childhood Still Feels Like Childhood
What 25 years means when you are choosing a camp for your child
A birthday party and a heated pool are fun additions, but they are probably not how a parent decides where to send their child for a week without them.
The ordinary parts matter more.
Who is looking after them? What happens around water? What if they have never slept away from home? Will they be able to make friends? Are they forced into activities they do not enjoy? What happens if they need medical attention?
These are the questions parents should ask when comparing sleepover camps for kids in South Africa.
At Sugar Bay, campers live in supervised cabins and follow a structured daily routine while still having considerable choice over their activities. Sugar Bay maintains a high counselor-to-camper supervision ratio, requires campers to complete a swim test and uses qualified lifeguards and additional water-safety procedures for aquatic activities.
There is also an on-site Health Centre run by a qualified nurse, with counselors trained in First Aid and CPR and a doctor available on call.
Parents considering camp for the first time can read the full Sugar Bay Safety & Security information before booking.
Twenty-five years of running camps does not mean parents should stop asking questions. It does mean we have spent 25 years dealing with the very real details involved in looking after children away from home, while still allowing camp to feel like a holiday to them.
A kids holiday camp on the KZN North Coast
Location has always been a big part of Sugar Bay.
The camp is at 21 Nkwazi Drive in Zinkwazi Beach, KwaZulu-Natal, on the KZN North Coast. It is within reach of Ballito, Durban and King Shaka International Airport, making it accessible to families from KwaZulu-Natal as well as campers travelling from Johannesburg, elsewhere in South Africa and overseas.
Being on the coast also shapes the activity programme. Surfing, body boarding, kayaking, SUP, sea swimming and other water activities sit alongside land-based adventure, sport and creative options.
For children, it feels far removed from school and normal routines.
For parents searching online for a KZN school holiday camp, a kids camp near Ballito, a sleepover camp near Durban or an American-style summer camp experience in South Africa, that combination of location and programme is an important part of the answer.
Thank you for 25 years of Sugar Bay
A camp cannot reach its 25th birthday on its own.
There are families who have trusted Sugar Bay with several children over many years. There are campers who have returned holiday after holiday. There are former campers who are now adults, past counselors who still talk about their seasons at Sugar Bay, schools that return for tours and staff members whose work happens largely out of sight of the photographs and videos parents see.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of Sugar Bay since 2001.
Most of all, thank you to the parents who have trusted us with their children. Sending a child away to camp, particularly for the first time, is a bigger decision than campers sometimes realise.
We appreciate that trust.
Sweet & Sour Week is finished, the birthday decorations have come down and our 25th birthday has officially been celebrated. Camp, of course, carries on.
The next cabins will fill. New friendships will start. Someone will try surfing for the first time. Someone will discover an activity they had never considered before. Someone will arrive convinced they are definitely not staying the whole week and leave asking when they can come back.
After 25 years, that part has not changed very much.
Planning a Sugar Bay holiday camp?
Sugar Bay Holiday Camp runs supervised school holiday camps for children and teenagers aged 7 to 17 in Zinkwazi Beach, KwaZulu-Natal.
Parents can explore the full list of Sugar Bay activities, read more about safety and supervision, learn more about Sugar Bay Holiday Camp or view the latest school holiday camp dates and prices.
Our next 2026 school holiday programme is Disney Zombies Week from 27 September to 4 October 2026, followed by further camps during the December and January holidays.
Parents can book online here: https://www.sugarbay.co.za/book-a-holiday
View all upcoming 2026 and 2027 Sugar Bay camp dates here: https://www.sugarbay.co.za/2026-school-holiday-camp-dates
Read more from the Sugar Bay Camp Blog: https://www.sugarbay.co.za/sugar-bay-camp-blog
For booking help, contact the Sugar Bay team:
Call: 032 485 3778
WhatsApp: 082 525 9503
Email: holidays@sugarbay.co.za
Frequently asked questions about Sugar Bay Camp:
When did Sugar Bay Camp open?
Sugar Bay Camp opened in 2001. The camp celebrated its 25th birthday in August 2026 during Sweet & Sour Week.
Where is Sugar Bay Camp in South Africa?
Sugar Bay Camp is located at 21 Nkwazi Drive, Zinkwazi Beach, KwaZulu-Natal. It is on the KZN North Coast, within reach of Ballito, Durban and King Shaka International Airport.
What ages can attend Sugar Bay holiday camps?
Sugar Bay's school holiday camps are for children and teenagers aged 7 to 17.
What was Sugar Bay's 25th birthday week?
Sugar Bay celebrated its 25th birthday during Sweet & Sour Week from 16 to 23 August 2026. The themed programme included candy challenges, free-choice camp activities, a Golden Mile excursion in Durban, Party Night, a Fire Show and the main birthday celebration on Saturday, 22 August.
What was revealed for Sugar Bay's 25th birthday?
Sugar Bay unveiled its new heated pool during the 25th birthday celebration.
Is Sugar Bay a sleepover camp?
Yes. Sugar Bay is a kids-only residential or sleepover holiday camp. Campers stay in cabins and are supervised throughout their stay.
What activities can children do at Sugar Bay?
Sugar Bay offers more than 100 free-choice activities. Options include surfing, body boarding, kayaking, SUP, BMX, skating, climbing, paintball, sport, dance, arts and crafts, pool activities and many others.
Is Sugar Bay close to Durban and Ballito?
Sugar Bay is in Zinkwazi Beach on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast. Its location makes it a holiday camp option for families from Ballito, Durban, Umhlanga and elsewhere in KZN, as well as children travelling from other parts of South Africa.
When is the next Sugar Bay holiday camp?
The next camp after Sweet & Sour Week is Disney Zombies Week, running from 27 September to 4 October 2026. Parents can check the Sugar Bay website for current camp dates, prices and booking information.
