The Noon Day Gun on Signal Hill
Please don’t panic when you hear something similar to a bomb explode at midday in Cape Town. Just check your watch and make sure it points to 1200hrs and you can rest assured it is coming from Signal Hill.
What you have heard is the noon day gun. The South African Navy fire the gun at precisely 1200 hrs every day (except Sundays) from the top of Signal hill.
How to get there
If you are interested in watching this event, turn right off Buitengracht Street into Whitford Street which becomes Military Road. The Noon Gun is situated at the end of Military Road.
What to expect
Signal Hill gets its name from the days when a semaphore or communication post on the side of the hill was used to send signals to ships in the harbour. Today, the hill is famous for the noon day gun – where a canon has been fired everyday (except Sundays), since 1902. The firing of the noon day gun is carried out with military precision by the South African Astronomical Observatory and they take it very seriously. An electric cartridge is loaded into the cannon which is then triggered remotely by the Observatory’s master clock. Note that the noon day gun is not located at the top of Signal Hill, but rather a short distance down the side of the hill at Lion’s Battery.
Timing
Try to get there for around 11:45 to watch the full spectacle.
At midday put your hands over your ears!