Cape town gay neighborhood

De Waterkant is Cape Town’s official gay neighborhood, and it has comfortable urban feel. The streets are walkable and most gay bars are here. Hotels in De Waterkant tend to be smaller boutique hotels, guesthouses, and loft-style accommodations. The heart of Cape Town's LGBTQ+ life is centred in the De Waterkant area, often compared to San Francisco’s Castro district. This lively neighbourhood boasts a plethora of gay bars, clubs, and cafes, alongside stylish boutiques and fine dining establishments, all contributing to its dynamic atmosphere.

Known as Cape Town’s gay neighborhood, De Waterkant is comfortably urban, walkable, and is the hub of most gay bars. It features a range of boutique hotels, guesthouses, and loft-style accommodations. Looking for the gayborhoods in Cape Town? We've got you covered: De Waterkant and Green Point: The beating heart of Cape Town's gay scene. It's so gay, even the crosswalks wear rainbow colors! City Bowl (CBD): Where the queer vibes are as relaxed as a Sunday brunch.

Sea Point: Another hotspot for the LGBTQ+ crowd. Consistently ranking among the world's top gay-friendly cities has earned Cape Town its nickname, Africa's ‘gay capital'. De Waterkant is the heart of gay Cape Town's rainbow district and home to many of the city's official gay and lesbian venues. I always knew Cape Town was the gayest city on the continent of Africa and the country of South Africa , but I hadn't actually formed any expectations.

Prior to our arrival, my friend forwarded me a calendar exploding with events for Pride month, which happened to overlap perfectly with our stay in Cape Town; our last weekend would even be the Pride parade and related parties. We went in with a relatively open mind and would just see how it went. This post is more about our personal experience with gay life in Cape Town. It was unfamiliar in every sense, from the over-the-top decorations, to the super camp music, to the cleaners immediately mopping the floor next to you if even a drop of your drink fell to the floor while you danced.

The crowd was incredibly sexy, but I noticed a much more reserved quality to the people that I don't see as much in Europe , from the higher amount of clothing to the nervous body language. You can tell that people wanted to talk and strike up a conversation based on the glares, but seemed apprehensive to do so. Even so, Pink Candy is a fun place to dance to nostalgic hits until 4 am, long past the closing time of most other places.

Manhattans is the place to be when you want to have a mid-week drink or get your weekend started, as it closes relatively early. Overall, it had pretty good vibes and I stopped by a few more times during my trip. As the days went on, we began to realize just how small the community was , often seeing people that we had seen in Pink Candy or Manhattans around town, especially at the gym. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, as it was easier to make connections this way.

At one point, we ended up at a street event called Buddies , where it seemed like the entirety of the Cape Town gays were rammed together in a few square meters. The men were gorgeous, but often grouped together. Fabio and I tend to always be a bit awkward at big events, but with a little of alcohol, we eventually broke through the courage barrier and got chatting to some friendly people.

I think my favorite place had to be Zer , which gave inclusiveness vibes all around. Here gays, lesbians, bis, queers, and more from all backgrounds co-mingled together and watched some hectic drag performances. The club was tiny, but it gave off the community vibe I love from any super progressive gay city. The weeks went by and Pride came around on our last weekend.

We ended up at a friends place for pre-drinks and then made it to the party at Green Point , next to the stadium. In a country blighted in discrimination in many forms, it felt like all the progressive optimists of Cape Town and the world, regardless of race, class, sexual orientation, gender came together in a place and could laugh and dance and be themselves. I'll always remember when the rain started pouring a first in my whole month in Cape Town as the performances were happening and ultimately a double rainbow emerged through the clouds.

So my overall assessment of the gay scene in Cape Town? There is a lot of what makes Cape Town and South Africa memorable, and the gay scene is the cherry on top! Cape Town is a beacon of hope and progress on a continent riddled with homophobia.

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While this may be the freest place in Africa for gays to live, of course there is still a lot of homophobia and discrimination. One guy I spoke to at a random bar, blatantly said to Fabio and me that, "There is no place in South Africa for homosexuality. To get inspired of what we find Cape Town has to offer, check out some of our favorite restaurants and if you are thinking of going there as a digital nomad, look no further than this post.

We also created a gay guide to Cape Town to further provide recommendations of things to do and where to stay while in Cape Town.