Gay venues johannesburg
A quick, dirty LGBTQ+ explore guide to Johannesburg, South Africa
For LGBTQ+ visitors to South Africa, it’s Cape Town, with its reputation as being a queer-friendly party-oriented beach city, that’s at the top of everyone’s to-do list, right up there with going on a safari. Meanwhile, the Rainbow Nation’s biggest city, Johannesburg, is often treated as somewhere to spend a night or two between legs of a larger trip.
But Jo’burg, which has a metro population of about 6.2 million, has a not many tricks up its sleeve for queer travellers. It’s just a matter of navigating its sprawl of neighbourhoods and satellite cities to find the superb stuff. And with its artsy and active gay community, there’s lots of good stuff to find.
Unlike many other gay-friendly cities, it’s not a matter of walking around, looking for Pride flags. Jo’burg is car-oriented, with attractions, restaurants, bars and boutiques scattered here and there, sometimes in unlikely places. Though the city has a reputation for petty crime, that’s usually not an issue for pragmatic visitors; transportation will mostly be in a taxi or rideshare, primarily because of the long distances and the way the metropolis’ districts ar
Gay Johannesburg
Johannesburg, often dubbed as "Jozi" or "Joburg," is a pulsating heart of South Africa and boasts a vibrant, albeit smaller, Homosexual community compared to Cape Town. This bustling metropolis is known for its rich history, arts and culture, and dynamic nightlife, making it an engaging destination for Diverse travelers looking to explore the diversity of South Africa.
The gay scene in Johannesburg is primarily centered around the suburb of Melville, where a variety of LGBTQ+ approachable bars, clubs, and restaurants can be found. These venues are known for their welcoming atmosphere and regularly host gay nights and themed parties, providing ample opportunities for visitors to mingle with locals.
Johannesburg also hosts the annual Johannesburg Pride, one of the oldest in the nation, which is a colorful and exuberant event celebrating diversity and rights within the LGBTQ+ collective. The Pride pride and associated events draw a grand crowd, featuring a day of inhabit music, performances, and stalls, all place against the backdrop of the city's vibrant culture.
Aside from nightlife and events, Johannesburg offers several attractions that resonate
Digital Transgender Archive
Dungeon Collection
The Dungeon Club was one of Johannesburg’s longest running gay clubs, located in the Three Castles Building on the corner of Marshall and Goud Streets in the CBD (207 Marshall Street). The building, home to Johannesburg’s first cigarette factory, dates back to 1898. The Dungeon, owned by Ronnie Oelofsen, opened in 1970 and ran until about 1995. The club hosted a variety of annual pageants, including Mr. Lgbtq+ Legs, Miss Gay Sluts and Mr. Gay South Africa. The Dungeon Club collection gives a fascinating glimpse into white, male lover culture of the 1970s and 1980s in Johannesburg. The clientele was largely white and Afrikaans, with a large lesbian/female presence making it different to other clubs at the time. The Dungeon operated without a liquor licence and patrons would carry their own alcohol and hold it behind the bar. The collection includes a large selection of photographs (largely of the many pageants hosted by the club) as well as correspondence to/from Ronnie Oelofsen, flyers, invitations, menus and programs for the various events hosted at the club, as well as promotional material for other gay clubs operating in Johannesbur
SSouth Africa has one of the most progressive constitutions in the world: homosexuality is legal; gay adoptions were legalised in 2003; and, only two years later in 2005, gay civil marriages became legal.
Johannesburg epitomises this forward-thinking approach, and although it just lost out by a whisker to Cologne for the 2010 Homosexual Games, it hosts The Out in Africa International Homosexual and Lesbian Clip Festival held yearly, whilst its annual Joburg Pride Pride first hit the Joburg streets in 1990, before the current constitution came into force.
Today, the Joburg Pride event has grown into Africa’s oldest and biggest celebration of gay and woman loving woman pride and attracts thousands of people, not only from South Africa but from all over the world. It takes place in Melrose Arch and is a playfulness, vibrant day out.
Gay and lesbian communities happily live in all of South Africa’s major cities, including Johannesburg, but what you’ll discover is that Joburg is an integrated city with small or no discrimination against gay people who frequent most restaurants, bars and clubs. You’ll be welcome most places you go.
There’s no shortage of nightlife that brims with cinemas, theatres, bars, nightc