Tsakane Nxumalo is a sergeant in the Black Mambas, South Africa's first all-women anti-poaching team.
21.07.2023 - 08:08 / roughguides.com
South Africa has so much variety, whether by day or by night. In fact, like the wildlife action in a safari park, sometimes it’s only once the sun is set that the real fun begins. From world-class restaurants to cocktail bars and jazz clubs full of life until dawn, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Cape Town is one of the world’s most beautiful cities and, while famous for its jazz, is also regularly voted one of the world’s best for food too. With the largest population of any city in South Africa, Johannesburg (usually called Joburg or Jozi for short) has the nightlife to match. Its better weather means its entertainment – already more diverse than Cape Town’s – is also less seasonal. Here’s our guide to the best of nightlife in each to help you enjoy all these great cities have to offer.
Cape Town at night © Florian Frey/Shutterstock
With Table Mountain behind and the ocean in front, the V&A Waterfront is a stage for Cape Town to show off its best side. Whether it’s listening to an impromptu jazz concert at the open-air bandstand, watching tribal dancers busk, or enjoying fine South African cuisine at a table overlooking the view (perhaps at Karibu, where ostrich steak is a firm favourite), this is the heart of the city for both residents and visitors. You’ll also find the Two Oceans Aquarium, with its collection of African penguins and fearsome sharks. Add to this high-end shopping and some of the city’s finest hotels, including the five-star Cape Grace. The 450 or so shops are open until 9 pm every day, including Sunday, and many of the dozens of restaurants and bars are licensed until 2 am – although things tend to quieten down a bit earlier on weekdays.
If you get to the area before nightfall, pay a visit to Zeitz MOCAA Gallery. Housed in a former grain silo dating back to 1921, the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa is the largest such museum in Africa. “Africa’s Tate Modern” is spread over nine floors and houses a seriously impressive collection from the continent and its diaspora, with work on display by award-winning artists such as Mary Sibande, Frances Goodman, Kendell Geers, William Kentridge, and Nicholas Hlobo.
Victoria & Albert Waterfront © David Steele/Shutterstock
MUST DO: The Fugard Theatre and Baxter Theatre Centre often have Cape jazz musicians playing as well as plays of local interest.
With its many bars and clubs busy until the early hours every day of the week, Long Street has been Cape Town’s nightlife central as long as anyone can remember. Firm favourites such as 169 On Long and Fiction play a popular mix of international and South African R’n’B, hip-hop and house with the music, drinks and party atmosphere pulling in a young, backpacker crowd from the many nearby
Tsakane Nxumalo is a sergeant in the Black Mambas, South Africa's first all-women anti-poaching team.
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