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Nightlife Cape Town is a party town, especially in summer, when tens of thousands of tourists – foreign and local – descend upon the city. But even during winter, the action never stops. Much of this action is concentrated on a handful of popular city streets and suburbs. The city has become an international Mecca for DJs, running huge rave, trance and ambient parties – often held in stunning locations on beaches or in forests. The city is also firmly entrenched on the international rock music touring circuit. There are several distinct nightlife districts. Long Street and Kloof Street in the city centre are alive with restaurants, live music clubs, bars, coffee shops and the occasional strip club. On the outskirts of the city centre, Somerset Road in Green Point has a string of gay and gay-friendly clubs and restaurants, while the V&A Waterfront is simply awash with nightlife hotspots popular with both tourists and locals alike. Toward the southern suburbs, Lower Main Road in the suburb of Observatory and the nearby River Club is the territory of Cape Town’s students and offers up a more Bohemian and laid-back style of entertainment. This is the place for local alternative music, slightly seedy pool halls, philosophy, poetry, stand-up comedy and vegetarian food. On the N1 highway, north of the city centre, the Century City development combines a state-of-the-art amusement park with scores of restaurants, several sound stages and the Dockside multilevel club and live music venue. The seaside suburbs of Kalk Bay, Fish Hoek and Simon’s Town, although traditionally family orientated and ‘dry’, are becoming increasingly trendy for nightlife beyond the city limits – although this is largely centred upon restaurants. There are no strict licensing hours in Cape Town and many clubs stay open until sunrise and beyond. Dress code is almost always as casual as you wish, although shorts and trainers are not appreciated in some venues and a ‘no effort no entry’ rule is sometimes enforced. Admission prices to clubs and raves range from R20 to R70 – many are free before 2300. The legal drinking age is 18 years, although some pubs demand a 21-year age limit for entrance. Alcohol is extremely cheap for foreigners, at approximately R8 for a beer. The monthly publications, Cape Review and Citylife, are excellent sources of information and listings for Cape Town’s nightlife, while The Gayteway Newspaper (website: www.gayteway.co.za), is a free monthly publication focusing on Cape Town’s gay nightlife. Information on Cape Town’s club scene is available online (website: www.clubbersguide.co.za). Bars: South Africa has strange laws concerning the sale of alcohol and bars must, by law, be attached to hotels or alternatively be part of a restaurant/café. For this reasons many bars masquerade as places to eat. In the city centre, the Long Street Café, 259 Long Street, is one of the trendiest haunts in town, while its sister, Café Bardeli, in the Longkloof Studios Centre, Darters Road, is where Cape Town’s film, television and modelling community strut their stuff in the recently revamped interior. The equally trendy Café Camissa, 80 Kloof Street, features live music, stand-up comedy and poetry readings. Spirit of Greenmarket, the restaurant attached to the Holiday Inn, Greenmarket Square, has a roomy terrace overlooking the market – an excellent place to enjoy an ice cold Castle lager or Savannah cider after a hard day of shopping. The V&A Waterfront has dozens of bars and cafés, many with beautiful sea and mountain views. The perennial favourite is Quay Four (website: www.quay4.co.za), with wooden benches and tables on a deck overlooking the harbour. Rolling Stones, Lower Main Road in Observatory, is a laid-back but crowded pool hall with a balcony overlooking the busy Lower Main Road below, where you would find the terminally hip Obz Café serving up cocktails to beautiful bohemians. Further south, on Rondebosch Main Road, Kuzmas is a cheap and cheerful Mediterranean-style restaurant and bar, popular with strapped-for-cash students. Despite facing east rather than the setting sun, the informal Brass Bell, Main Road, St James, has long been a favourite of tippling locals. One of the best venues in which to watch the sun go down is La Med, at the Glen Country Club, Victoria Road in Clifton (website: www.lamed.co.za). Bikinis are optional. Another trendy sundowner spot favoured by those who have had a trying day sunbathing on the fabulous beach below is Clifton Beach House, 72 The Ridge, Fourth Beach. Just down the road, Baraza, 9 The Promenade, off Victoria Road, Camps Bay, is one of the trendiest haunts of the international jet set who summer in Cape Town. But for the best view in town, enjoy the sunset from Table Mountain Bistro, perched right on top of the mountain – a siren is sounded if the wind picks up and to mark the sunset. It also warns drinkers when the last cable cars are getting ready to leave (so go easy on the Savannahs). Casinos: There are three casinos in the Cape region and the finest of these is undoubtedly the Grand West Casino & Entertainment World, 1 Vanguard Drive, Goodwood (website: www.suninternational.co.za). This massive complex is a reconstruction of various historic Cape Town buildings and includes two hotels, an Olympic-sized ice rink, several restaurants and, of course, the casino itself, complete with 1750 slot machines and 66 tables, bars, lounges, restaurants, nightclub and revue bar. The gambling areas are open for those over 18 years, dress is smart-casual in the gaming halls and a passport or ID is required. Clubs: There are literally hundreds of clubs in Cape Town, varying from your average disco playing standard dance fare to deeply alternative clubs where bouncers assess dress, body piercings and language before deciding whether or not patrons make the grade. The River Club, Observatory Road, hosts club nights and massive rave parties, such as an annual New Year indoor and outdoor party and the gay-orientated and extremely lavish Twinkly Sea Project. The Purple Turtle, Long Street, and the Moomba Club Sociale, 77 Hout Street, offer a mixed bag of alternative music, theme nights and live music. Meanwhile The Jet Lounge, 70 Long Street, and The Piano Lounge, corner of Loop Street and Wale Street, play a mix of house, jungle, trance and jazz. More hardcore is The Shack/Blue Lizard, 41 De Villiers Street, District Six, with a goth-grunge atmosphere and clientele. Located in Cape Town’s ‘gay village’, De Waterkant Village, Sky/Angels, Bronx Action Bar, Spilounge and 55 Club, all on Somerset Road in Greenpoint, are Cape Town’s most popular gay clubs. Baseline, 72 Long Street, provides two dance floors with DJs playing deep and funky house, R&B and hip hop. Marvel, Long Street, corners the market of electronica and ‘intelligent dance music’ every Sunday, while Chilli ‘n Lime, 23 Somerset Road, combines deep house sounds and live bands with a designer fashion shop and photographic studio. Comedy: Laughter is the best medicine and has helped South Africa over the apartheid years, both politically and emotionally. Cape Town plays a large role in continuing to split the sides of her people. The main venue in Cape Town is the Comedy Warehouse, 22 Somerset Road, while next door, On Broadway, 21 Somerset Road (website: www.onbroadway.co.za), is an extremely popular dinner and cabaret venue featuring a mixed bag of music, dance and drag shows. The Cape Comedy Collective Circuit provides the laughs at a variety of venues, while the Baxter Theatre, Main Road, Rondebosch, hosts regular shows of South Africa’s finest comic talent. One of the city’s most famous sons, Pieter Dirk Uys, the political satirist and anti-apartheid activist best known for his role of the first lady of South Africa, Evita Bezuidenhout, has opened a theatre/comedy workshop, Evita se Perron, in the disused Darling Railway Station, in Darling, a small town just 45 minutes out of Cape Town. Live music: Live music fans would do well to check the local press and listings magazines for details of live music events, as many take place in obscure venues and on an irregular basis. A popular spot for hectic rock, local stars and alternative sounds is The Jam, 43 De Villiers Street, District Six, a venue that is owned by heavy rockers and Cape Town locals, the Springbok Nude Girls. Marco’s African Place, 15 Rose Lane, in the Bo-Kaap area, is a popular spot for Cape Town’s ruling classes, who come to enjoy the indigenous cuisine and music. Mama Afrika, 178 Long Street, also provides great local food with live music. The Drum Café, 32 Glynn Street, provides African sounds with a drum workshop every Monday. Cape Town excels at jazz and for regular live performances, The Green Dolphin, at the V&A Waterfront, is Cape Town’s premier jazz venue, while Hanover Street Jazz Club, Grand West Casino, Goodwood, is another classy jazz venue. Big-name concerts featuring international artists are usually held at the Greenpoint Stadium, Somerset Road, and the Bellville Velodrome, Cronje Drive, Bellville. |
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