A wave of attractions has transformed the CBD’s after-hours economy into one that caters for all. Here are some alternatives to the well-established pub, club and grub scene.
Concerts at City Hall
The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1914, puts on concerts throughout the year.
Cape Town City Hall, Darling St | www.cpo.org.za | 021 410 9809
Live music
Hear the sounds of South Africa at several spots in the CBD.
- Aces ‘n’ Spades: 62 Hout St | www.acesnspades.com | 021 424 1620
- Cafe Mojito: 265 Long St | www.facebook.com/Cafe.Mojito.Cpt | 021 422 1095
- Café Roux: 74 Shortmarket St | http://caferouxsessions.co.za | 021 789 2538
- Mama Africa: 178 Long St | www.mamaafricarestaurant.co.za | 021 426 1017
- The Crypt Jazz Restaurant: 1 Wale St | www.thecryptjazz.com | 079 683 4658
- The Waiting Room: 273 Long St | www.facebook.com/WaitingRoomCT | 021 422 4536
Book launches at the Book Lounge
This independent store in the East City regularly hosts after-hours launches for well-known local and international authors.
71 Roeland St | www.booklounge.co.za | 021 462 2425
Free community jazz concert
Every year in March, as a curtain raiser, the organisers of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival host a free concert on Greenmarket Square. This gives Capetonians a taste of some of the world-class performers in town.
Greenmarket Square | www.capetownjazzfest.com
Cinema
Take in a film at a Galileo Open Air Cinema screening. The Castle of Good Hope has a screening on the first
Friday of the month, and Fedisa’s rooftop (81 Church St) on the third Friday.
http://thegalileo.co.za
The Pink Flamingo Rooftop Cinema is set among seven vintage Airstream trailers on the rooftop of the
Grand Daddy Hotel.
38 Long St | http://granddaddy.co.za | 021 424 7247
First Thursdays and Museum Night
First Thursdays started in late 2012 with six art galleries and has grown into one of the CBD’s foremost cultural experiences, attracting thousands of people every month. According to an April 2014 article in BD Live, 35 galleries and shops were participating at the time. There are even more today, 52, and First Thursdays’ original A6 guide is now an A2 fold out incorporating dozens of venues.
Co-founder Gareth Pearson says First Thursdays is “an experiment at the intersection of culture, commerce and public space”. The idea was to make galleries more accessible to the public and to provide an opportunity to explore the Central City on foot at night.
Gareth and his business partner, Michael Tymbios, were also responsible for Museum Night, which gives the public free entry to cultural assets such as the Iziko museums.
Church & Bree streets and surrounds
www.museum-night.co.za
Image courtesy of Eugene Arries