Newtown isn’t the kind of neighbourhood you can flatten into a neat little round-up. It’s too dense with history for that, too full of the old, too marked by reinvention. So while putting this guide together, we reached out to Marc Latilla, the writer behind the deeply researched Johannesburg 1912 blog, and author of Johannesburg Then and Now, to help peel back a few of those layers. His suburb-by-suburb archive of the city has become a go-to for people interested in Joburg’s buildings, forgotten stories and strange little urban afterlives, and Newtown, he told Time Out Joburg, is one of those classic Johannesburg places of “ups and downs” that has long shifted between industry, culture and neglect.
“Historically, Newtown almost makes the most sense as a walking tour. This was the site of Johannesburg’s first forced removal after the Boer War, as well as the city’s first power station and tram infrastructure. Walk through it now and those layers are still there: Sci-Bono sits inside one of the old electrical buildings, the Workers Museum occupies former workers’ huts, the market buildings still hold the story of the precinct’s commercial life, and the silos and industrial remnants speak to everything this part of Joburg has been. Few neighbourhoods in the city have gone through this much change and still wear so much of it on the surface.”
That complexity is exactly what makes it worth visiting. In Latilla’s telling, Newtown was once “the driving force of the city”, first as a centre of power generation and transport, then as a market district where goods arrived by rail and where businesses grew up around commerce. Later, it became one of the city’s great cultural experiments, with the Market Theatre at its heart. As he points out, entertainment has been one of Newtown’s constants, and that still feels true now, whether you’re heading in for a matinee, a museum stop, a hip hop exhibition, or a long night at one of the clubs clustered around Gwigwi Mrwebi Street.
What’s Newtown known for?
Newtown is one of Joburg’s most historic cultural precincts, but it’s always been more than that. This was once a hard-working part of the city, shaped by markets, cold storage, power infrastructure, transport and industry. Over time, those spaces were transformed into some of the city’s best theatres, museums, public squares and music venues. It’s also one of the few places in Joburg where you can still feel all those layers at once: the old fruit market turned theatre, the square under the freeway, the jazz legacy painted onto pillars, the hip hop museum inside Museum Africa, and the clubs still carrying the area after dark.
How do I get to Newtown?
Newtown sits right on the edge of the inner city, so it’s easy enough to reach from Braamfontein, Fordsburg, Maboneng and the northern suburbs if you’re driving in. The best approach is to choose one anchor point, usually the Market Theatre precinct, Museum Africa or Newtown Junction, and work from there on foot. Parking at Newtown Junction is the easiest option if you want a relatively simple in-and-out, especially if you’re doing a daytime circuit that turns into dinner or drinks later.
What’s nearby?
Newtown brushes up against some of the city’s most interesting older districts. Braamfontein is nearby if you want to continue the day with coffee, galleries or a younger student buzz. Fordsburg is close if you want your next stop to revolve around food. The Bag Factory Artists’ Studios sits right on that western edge, close enough to fold into a broader Newtown day if you want to add artist studios and an exhibition to the mix.
If you only do one thing…
Walk the precinct slowly in the daytime, start at the Market Theatre, stop in at Museum Africa and the South African Hip Hop Museum, take in the murals and musical history around Mary Fitzgerald Square, have lunch at Niki’s Oasis, and then decide whether you’re heading home or staying out for a dance.
If you’re looking to turn your visit into a staycation, you can find everything from luxury suites to cosy garden flats on Booking.com or Airbnb.
Map of Newtown
