The best curated club scenes in Cape Town

There’s been a noticeable change in Cape Town’s club culture. Less mainstream. More curated and inclusive. One such place is The Loft, a music experience hosted at the Hearty Collective in Woodstock.

Originally from Joburg, local house music curator Lonwabo “Man of Lemon” Mgoduso wanted to emulate a space that “speaks to community-building through music, stripping away cliques and egos and allowing people to connect through a shared passion for house music”.

His latest project was created on that ideology. The Loft is an open, music-first environment where people can explore the breadth of house music. “Everything about The Loft is approached with intention,” says Mgoduso. “We see everyone who walks through the door as part of that community.”

The next event will be on Saturday, 2 May. Tickets start at R100.

The Mother City often gets a bad rep for being “clicky”. If you don’t conform to a certain convention, you’re automatically labelled an outsider.

Described as the city’s “alternative party playground,” EVOL is where outsiders and “weirdos” can find their tribe. Calling 69 Hope Street home, the nightclub is always open. 

Interestingly, they’ve just opened a bud bar downstairs. Cannabis enthusiasts will be pleased to know that all products are ethically sourced and vouched for. No sketchy skyf. No waking up with regrets. Just the good stuff and quality flower. While enjoying your trip, you can relax in the chill area or play a few arcade games. 

The club doesn’t do events in half measures. Eschewing mediocracy, it chooses to err on the counterculture side of things. Earlier this month, they transformed the space into a dimly lit sanctuary for medieval nerds.

Trap House Culture platforms up-and-coming underground artists at their underground parties. The OGs of the Cape Town trap house party scene, the outfit hosts its regular Geeked: Underground events at Groove Station on Church.

Tickets start selling fast because of the affordable price point (starting at R100), but it’s the partygoers who bring the vibes. Here, you’ll only find diehard trap house enthusiasts. No pretentences. No attitude.

The subgenre of Southern hip-hop has grown in popularity thanks to events like these. Their parties aren’t marketed in the traditional sense, so best that you follow them on the socials to get the down low of the next gathering.

What happens when a premier hotel group curates a VIP experience? You get a bar-hopping tour but make it bougie.

Honest Travel Experiences’ collaboration with Marriott Bonvoy has all the makings of a celebrity-worthy encounter. The VIP Amapiano & Afrobeats Club-Hopping Experience costs $231 (about R2,700) per person. 

Here’s what you get: 

• Visit the city’s trendiest bars, iconic clubs, chic lounges, and secret hangouts. 
• Always end the night at one club or launch, depending on the option you choose.
• A welcome drink (beer, cider, or shot) at each venue.
• Entrance fee to all venues between 9pm and 2am.

If you want a taste of Cape Town with the red carpet rolled out, then you’ll probably appreciate the effort put into the curation.

From the outside, Tiki Tomb looks like any other ordinary building. Step inside and descend the stairs, and you’ll be transported to the 1930s when tiki culture ruled. 

Complete with kitsch decor and an island-style bar, Tiki Tomb is one of those rare gems that you brag to your Jozi friends about. Wednesday nights are for karaoke. Happy hour (R50 drinks) happens every Wednesday to Saturday, 8pm - 9pm.

Hands down, the best thing about the bar is its menu. From hand-stretched pizzas to sticky wings and loaded nachos, you can share or simply go at it alone. By the time the clock strikes 10pm, no under-25s are allowed. How’s that as a win for Millennials?

Fittingly named Secrets, this venue screams mysterious. Housed in an old building in Long Street, Secrets is a dual-events space. 

The collection of rooms, each with its own unique setting, promises an intimate encounter, whether you’re there to sample the menu or the beats. The entrance bar with its black-stained wood and velvet-covered walls is the Jungle of Secrets. 

Further down the hallway and down the stairs, you’ll find another secret: a half-sitting, half-dancefloor area. 

Secrets prides itself on offering visitors an evening of culinary and rhythmic delight. The state-of-the-art video and audio elevate the music (mostly mainstream hits) to an electrifying high.

Trance music lovers know where the real party is at. Hidden Leaf, an underground psychedelic events production based in Cape Town, hosts parties in and around the Mother City.

One of the biggest events in its portfolio is the Hidden Leaf Festival. Last year, in December, they took their beats all the way to Melkbostrand. Most of their parties are on a much smaller scale with fewer than 100 attendees. If you manage to snag a ticket, you’re in the World Cup.

The DJs are of the highest calibre, and the event locations are as impressive. Immersive visuals and audio are part of the experience. That rave scene in The Matrix? This is the closest you’re going to get.

The next party is Saturday, 28 March. The Melting Pot Warehouse Festival will be held at the Bunker in Killarney Gardens. 

A Sunday groove session just hits different. An invitation to ease into the work week. PHATT Society does exactly that with its Sunday parties.

Framing itself as a lifestyle movement, the events brand is all about self-love and body positivity. Because of this ethos, PHATT parties are very well supported. With an emphasis on R&B, soul, and deep house, everyone is offered a safe space to be unapologetically themselves.

PHATT FEST is the next event on the calendar. Slated for Sunday, 28 March, the party is more of a family affair, except for the PHATT Zone, strictly for over-18s only. In collaboration with the Wynberg Family Festival, PHATT FEST will be held at Maynardville Park, from 11am to 7pm.

Don’t forget, this is a no-judgement jol zone. Leave your opinions at the door.