1. Artüro
With its bright pink walls, pride flag hanging proudly, and a striking mural of a woman honouring owner Tania Muu’s Congolese roots, Artüro Tequila Garden adds even more colour and culture to the already diverse Melville. This tequila and tapas bar serves up Afro-Latino flavours with a side of agave-fuelled fun, from queer speed dating to monthly Afro-Latin socials, where salsa and kizomba take over the dance floor.
6 7th Street, Melville
2. Babylon
Anchoring Illovo’s nightlife, Babylon has been a suburban gay hotspot for over a decade, offering a space to let loose and dance the night away. Whether you’re there to party, find your next fling, or catch some drag shows, Babylon sets the weekend mood for anyone chasing a wild night out. Inclusive as it is wild, and a magnet for everything from bachelorette parties to packs of besties, it’s got something for everyone. Sip and mingle at the front bar, then lose yourself in the back dance floor where the music’s loud and the screens are cheeky.
198 Oxford Rd, Illovo
3. Great Dane
Once a Braamfontein student favourite, Great Dane was famed for its dimly lit interior, packed courtyard, and quirky details like a floor plastered with five-cent coins. While never a strictly gay bar, Saturdays became affectionately known as “Gay Dane,” with a queer cult following and DJs spinning everything from electro and 2000s R&B to 1980s power ballads. After closing in 2023 to make way for Mamakashaka & Friends, the beloved venue found a new home in Melville in August 2025. Expect the same legendary Long Islands, unbeatable drink specials, and an inclusive space for Joburg’s night owls.
8 Main Rd, Melville
4. Liquid Blue
A bustling nightlife cocktail bar on Melville’s busy 7th Street. Not officially a gay bar, but Liquid Blue serves as a longtime favourite of Johannesburg’s POC LGBTQ+ community, drawing university students and city professionals alike. Saturdays get overcrowded after 22:00, so Thursday and Friday nights are your best bet for affordable drinks, pop hits, and a lively, queer-friendly crowd.8 7th St, Melville
5. Ratz
One of Melville’s longest-running gay bar favourites, Ratz has always been the spot for cheap drinks, campy fun, and a dance floor that refuses to quit. Think 80s pop, disco, and rock. Come early for warm-up drinks, stay late when the tables vanish and the dance floor takes over, and don’t miss the karaoke nights that keep the party rolling. Ratz relaunched in August 2025, refreshed with new management, a makeover, wonderfully cheap games of pool, and enticing drink specials all day.
9 7th St, Melville
6. The Royale
Inspired by The Royal Palm Hotel in Havana, the 1950s tropical playground of high-rolling Americans, The Royale in Craighall is a Cuban-themed bar and restaurant serving up casual eats, killer drink specials, and frozen margaritas that keep things cool. A watering hole for Joburg’s stylish crowd, it’s proudly queer-friendly, often hosting LGBTQ+ nights where the energy spills from the tropical dining room into the hidden speakeasy, where the dancing never really stops.
357 Jan Smuts Ave, Craighall Park
7. The Wild Side
Take a walk on The Wild Side in Craighall Park, where neon-bright tropical flair meets casual-contemporary eats (the brioche bun burgers are worth the hype). Sip cocktails, soak up the sun on the spacious terrace, and groove to Saturday DJ sets or catch a rugby game. Queer-friendly and full of energy, it’s also the go-to spot for drag shows and lively afternoons with friends.
6 Burnside Ave, Craighall Park
8. Queer nights out: Joburg’s pop-up parties
Beyond the bars and restaurants, Joburg’s queer scene comes alive with pop-up parties and events you’ll want to mark on your calendar. From one-night-only takeovers to boundary-pushing festivals, these are the nights where the city truly lets its rainbow colours fly.OTHER VILLAGE PEOPLE
Photo: @downtownthabz for Other Village People via Instagram
Other Village People know how to throw a party with purpose. Founded by event producer and DJ Andiswa Dlamini aka (AN.D), the collective curates unapologetically queer-centred spaces like Queertopia, which debuted in 2021 at Constitution Hill, transforming the former apartheid prison into a playground for black queer joy. Their Same Sex Saturday series, born in Durban, has since gone national (and even international, with a weekend in Mozambique), making it one of the most exciting queer nightlife exports out of South Africa.
Follow Other Village People on Instagram for the latest announcements on their upcoming queer-friendly events.
P_SSY PARTY
Centred on shaping women and queer DJs and club culture, P_ssy Party is a Joburg collective dedicated to amplifying radical softness in social spaces. It prioritises creating a space where women and queer people come first, encouraging guests to care for one another as they would want to be cared for themselves.
Follow P_ssy Party on Instagram for the latest announcements on their upcoming queer-friendly events.
VNJ (VOGUE NIGHT JOZI)
SAMA-nominated DJ, events curator, writer, and all-around creative trailblazer Lelowhatsgood is the driving force behind the queer-focused VNJ Ball. VNJ Ball is an inclusive movement for music, fashion, art, and dance that has redefined South African queer culture. Expect a dazzling, queer-focused crowd dressed loud and proud in the campest fashions, and an anything-goes dance floor where sudden 'death-drops' are the rule, not the exception.
Follow VNJ Ball or VNJ Bodega on Instagram for the latest announcements on their upcoming queer-friendly events.
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