Something is happening in Melville. Few neighbourhoods in Johannesburg have lived as many lives. From its cultural heyday in the 1990s and post-1994 to its student-packed Seventh Street and a descent into cheap shooters and quirky stores. In 2020 the dancefloors emptied and after the successive Covid lockdowns ended, Melville was a shadow, with shuttered storefronts.
But you can never count Melville out. Long a magnet for creatives, academics and night owls from nearby University of the Witwatersrand and University of Johannesburg, the suburb’s famous 7th Street is buzzing once more with new openings and re-openings, and familiar faces are returning, along with some exciting reinvention.
The creative catalyst: The Happening, Melville Art Mile and beyond
At the heart of Melville’s revival is creativity, and few have captured it as closely as photographer and storyteller Aubrey Moloto, founder of Snaps on Seventh. Through initiatives like The Happening – a free, one-day community arts festival – and the Melville Art Mile, he’s helped spotlight the artists, small businesses and cultural movers shaping the neighbourhood’s next chapter. What began as documenting a post-pandemic slowdown soon revealed something else entirely: Melville wasn’t fading, it was rebuilding.
Moloto points to the suburb’s long-standing connection to students and creatives, fuelled by its proximity to universities, as the backbone of its nightlife energy. “That student connection… and Melville being a sanctuary for creatives – those two factors will always keep nightlife alive in Mellies,” he notes. Now, with strong community collaboration, safety concerns have been actively addressed through the Community Policing Forum's (CPF) CIB patroller scheme – funded by a collective of local businesses – which helped revive the Melville Business Association and support a security upgrade with professional Goni Security. With new spaces also opening, that energy continues to build. The result is a neighbourhood where art and creativity lead the way, business follows, and nightlife naturally finds its rhythm again.
The new wave: Melville’s fresh openings and returns
From long-awaited comebacks to first-time openings, the strip is quietly rebuilding its after-dark identity. Familiar names are re-emerging in new forms, while fresh concepts lean into what Melville does best: unpretentious nights, walkable distances, and spots where one stop easily becomes three (or six, depending on how the night behaves). It’s not about replacing what came before, but layering something new over the old – a mix of nostalgia and experimentation that feels distinctly of-the-moment. And these are a few that have caught our attention.
1. Melville nightlife revival: The return of Ratz
Since the mid-’90s, Ratz has been one of Melville’s longest-running queer nightlife staples, loved for its cheap drinks, campy charm and dancefloor that refuses to quit. Relaunched under new management in August 2025, the proudly queer, proudly local favourite is back with fresh energy: alternative sounds on salvaged Kitchener’s Bar speakers, marathon DJ sets stretching up to seven hours. Add retro R&B Sundays, soulful house Wednesdays, wallet-friendly pool games and crowd-pleasing specials like R20 tequila happy hour and Margarita Fridays, and you’ve got a formula that’s pulling people back to the dancefloor.
Its revival mirrors Melville’s own comeback. “Melville has been a cultural stalwart in the city for years and years, so whether nightlife or expressed in other ways, this suburb is an artistic haven. As some notable nightlife spots have closed down recently, it’s natural that the city’s hungry nightlife patrons would find our offering, and the others in Melville in this moment,” shares Colleen Balchin, general manager of Ratz. Proudly queer, proudly local and proudly a little chaotic, Ratz is once again lighting up 7th Street.
9 7th St, Melville
2. Great Dane finds a new home
Once a favourite Braamfontein student haunt, Great Dane built its reputation on dim lighting, packed courtyards, a floor of five-cent coins and famously strong Long Island Ice Teas. While never strictly a gay bar, Saturdays quickly earned the nickname “Gay Dane,” drawing a loyal queer crowd dancing to everything from electro and 2000s R&B to unapologetic 80s power ballads. Great Dane closed in 2023. It's space in Braam is now Mamakashaka & Friends. But in August 2025, it found a new home in Melville, bringing along its inclusive dancefloor, legendary drinks and slightly chaotic charm. The result? A familiar favourite with a fresh address, already adding to Melville’s queer-friendly nightlife and growing after-dark momentum.
8 Main Rd, Melville
3. New to the neighbourhood: Good Omens Melville
Photo: Good Omens.
Hoping to bring a little more good luck to 7th Street, Good Omens is one of Melville’s newest nightlife additions and it’s already settling in like a longtime local. Following the success of Bad Manors in Newtown, Chris van den Berg teamed up with hospitality aficionado Jonathan “Georgie” Michael to create a laid-back yet lively spot that complements Melville’s late-night energy without trying to outpace it. “It felt like the right time, Melville is on the uptick and we wanted to be a part of that,” says Van den Berg. Opened in February 2026, with a street-spilling outdoor area perfect for people-watching on a night out in 7th Street, courtyard hangs, and even a secret beer garden, then add burgers, boerewors rolls, a thoughtful wine list and rotating monthly cocktails, Good Omens leans into easy socialising and relaxed house beats. It's a build to the night, adding fresh, easygoing energy to Melville’s next era after dark.
