Event Dates
From: Sunday, October 31, 2027
To: Sunday, October 31, 2027
Halloween marks the start of the gay Spring/Summer Season in Cape Town.
Costumes matter here. Halloween nights tend to draw a stronger dressed-up crowd than a normal Saturday, particularly at the dance clubs. Start with drinks in De Waterkant, then decide whether you want DJs and dancing, drag and performance, or a later men-only cruise night.
- Visiting for Cape Town Pride? Stay in the Rockefeller Hotel, rated “Fabulous” by guests in a great location featuring fresh modern rooms and a superb fitness centre.
Halloween in Cape Town
- Next Edition: Sunday, October 31, 2027 .
- Halloween arrives as Cape Town heads into warmer spring evenings, bringing costume parties, drag shows, DJs and late-night events to the city’s queer bars and clubs.
- Rather than one official citywide Halloween event, each venue creates its own programme, making it a great night for moving between several parties.
- De Waterkant remains the centre of Cape Town’s gay social scene, sitting between the CBD, Green Point and the V&A Waterfront, with several venues within walking distance.
- Start earlier around Waterkant and Cobern Streets for drinks and dinner, then move on to the larger clubs as the night picks up.
- The scene extends beyond De Waterkant into District Six, Observatory and Parow, giving you several different styles of Halloween night, from drag and dancing to men-only cruising.
- Pink Candy, Crew Bar, Café Manhattan, Zer021, Stargayzers and Shaft Cruise Zone are all operating in 2026, with individual Halloween programmes typically announced closer to the event.
- Check out the top hotels closest to the gay bars in De Waterkant.
Bars & Clubs hosting Halloween Events
- Café Manhattan – 74 Waterkant Street, De Waterkant. Still the anchor of the neighbourhood and now celebrating 32 years on the same corner. Queer-owned since 1994, Manhattan works best as the starting point: terrace drinks, dinner, cocktails and DJs without committing to a full club night. Its current programme includes DJs, drag and themed evenings, and it opens daily until 11pm.
- Crew Bar – 12 Cobern Street, De Waterkant. Crew is back and active at its newer Cobern Street home, rather than the old Napier Street address still found on some listings. The current space has a cocktail bar, terrace, dance floor, multiple rooms and late-night entertainment, opening until 2am. It has become one of the stronger options for turning early De Waterkant drinks into a proper night out without changing neighbourhoods.
- Pink Candy Night Club – 120 Strand Street. One of the city’s dependable Friday-and-Saturday gay dance clubs, running from 9pm until 4am. Pink Candy is the choice when you want a conventional club night: DJs, a proper dance floor, themed parties and a crowd that arrives later. Its September 2026 programme confirms the club remains very active.
- Zer021 Social Club – 46 Canterbury Street, District Six. Less polished and rather more performance-driven than the De Waterkant bars, Zer021 mixes drag, karaoke, DJs and dancing. It runs late from Thursday through Sunday, making it useful if your Halloween night is centred around shows rather than cocktails and restaurant-bar hopping.
- Stargayzers – Parow. Stargayzers remains active in 2026, with regular Friday and Saturday nights. It sits away from the De Waterkant circuit and attracts a strong local following, so treat it as a destination for the night rather than another stop on a central Cape Town bar crawl.
- Shaft Cruise Zone – 299 Lower Main Road, Observatory. The late-night option for men looking for something far less conventional than a dance club. Shaft combines a bar with a steam room, private areas and cruising maze. It is open daily, staying open until 2am on Friday and Saturday. The venue runs regular themed nights, making it one to check again when its Halloween programme is released.
- Honey & Dora – 55 Prestwich Street, De Waterkant. LGBTQ+-focused café and social space that works better for brunch, afternoon drinks or an early meet-up than a 2am finish. It broadens the page beyond clubs and gives readers somewhere useful to begin Halloween Saturday before changing gears later. Current 2026 listings show it operating daily.
- Crew Bar & Opium Lounge – The Cobern Street complex is now larger than the old Crew format suggests. Crew and Opium share a multi-room property with the main bar, lounges, garden spaces, DJ production and room for substantial themed events. That makes it particularly relevant to Halloween, when larger-format parties can use several areas of the building.
Where to Stay
For Halloween, De Waterkant is still the most practical base. You can walk to Café Manhattan, Crew and much of the central queer scene, with Strand Street, Green Point and the V&A Waterfront close by.
- The Capital Mirage – Contemporary rooms and apartments on the edge of De Waterkant, particularly convenient if nightlife is the priority.
- The Grey Hotel – Boutique option right in De Waterkant, putting the neighbourhood’s bars within an easy walk.
- Cape Royale – Green Point location with quick access to De Waterkant and the Waterfront.
- Browse hotels in De Waterkant – The best search area if you want to walk home after Halloween rather than depend on a late-night ride.
DeWaterkant, is next to the gay bars
Book now and pay on arrival.
The Glenn Hotel in Cape Town’s Seapoint
Stylish, great pool and gay operated.
For further information and advice on
Cape Town Halloween Party Facebook
Most of the gay bars are located in the De Waterkant area, surrounded by some lovely restaurants and only a short walk to the shopping streets, we have chosen some hotels and apartment that keep you in the hard of all the action.
Address: Quay, 6 W Quay Rd, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town
Address: Convention Square, Lower Long St, Cape Town City Centre
Address: 40 Chiappini St, De Waterkant, Cape Town, 8001
Address: Moorings 5 & Portswood Ridge, 5 Portswood Rd
Address: 10 Hospital Street Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Address: 32 Prestwich StreetCape Town, 8001, South Africa
Address: 23 Jarvis StreetGreen Point, Cape Town, 8051
Address: 137 Waterkant StreetCape Town, 8001,South Africa
Address: Victoria Rd, Clifton, Cape Town, 8005, South Africa
Address: Fulham Rd, Camps Bay, Cape Town, 8005, South Africa
Address: 84 Camps Bay Dr, Camps Bay, Cape Town, 8040
Address: 23 Geneva Dr, Camps Bay, Cape Town, 8040, South Africa
Address: 74 Waterkant Street,Cape Town, 8001,South Africa
Address: 120 Strand St, De Waterkant, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Address: 55 Prestwich St, De Waterkant, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Address: 46 Canterbury St, District Six, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa
Address: 12 Cobern St, De Waterkant, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Address: 299 Lower Main Rd, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa
Address: 123 Lower Main Rd, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925
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We have chosen hotels in Cape Town that keep you close to all the shops,restaurants & bars

Dallas Halloween Party on the Block 2027