Noon Gun

Not to be confused with Sundial cannon.
This article is about the time gun in South Africa. For the time gun in Hong Kong, see Noonday Gun.

Seen firing on 4 April 2018
Noon Gun firing in slow motion.
A short history of the Noon Guns posted at the Lion Battery
Video of the Noon Gun being fired in Cape Town, South Africa. The gun is fired at precisely 12:00 every day from Signal Hill.

The Noon Gun has been a historic time signal in Cape Town, South Africa since 1806. It consists of a pair of black powder Dutch naval guns, fired alternatingly with one serving as a backup. The guns are situated on Signal Hill, close to the centre of the city. The sight seeing point is officially permanently closed, and public entrance is unattainable.

A similar tradition exists in different other locations around the world, including in Nice (France),[1] Hong Kong[2] and at both Québec citadel and Halifax citadel (Canada).[3][4]

  1. ^ "VIDEO. Nice. Qui se cache derrière le traditionnel coup de canon de midi ?". actu.fr (in French). Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Noon Day Gun". Discover Hong Kong. Retrieved 31 March 2011.
  3. ^ "Traditions". La Citadelle de Québec – Musée Royal 22e Régiment (in French). Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  4. ^ Halifax, Discover (25 June 2019). "Get fired up for the daily Noon Gun at the Halifax Citadel". Discover Halifax. Retrieved 2 April 2023.