Africa's Top 35 Best High-End Nightclubs and Nightlife
"The best thing about having your own nightclub is that everything`s free and you can tell the DJ to play whatever you want." - Paris Hilton.
"I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member." - Groucho Marx.
NIGHTLIFE used to mean discothèques. Now there is everything from formal nightclubs to nocturnal theme parks with live music, videos, ever-more vigorous lightshows, and cabaret reminiscent of the Sixties-style "happening". Some boîtes have private bars for the chosen few, some have membership but let you in if you're sufficiently beautiful, eccentric or rich.
The best way to find what's "in" is to keep your ears open. However, if you tour the nightclub district and spy a crowd trying to get in somewhere, it'a a clue that something's happening in that dirty old basement. The rule is never to join the queue - go to the head of it and charm your way in.
The best nightlife occurs in cities that never sleep. Clubs beget late-night cafés, only known to the clubbing cognoscenti.
In New York, nothing ever seems to close, so when you finish in one club, you go on to the next. The whole point is your attitude to a nightclub: it shouldn't be the end of the evening, it should be the start of something better.
The nightclubs marked with 'F' indicates that the club has been awarded the "World’s Finest Clubs Award" by The World's Finest Clubs - a network of the most exclusive, trend-setting and elegant memberclubs in the world.
- 13 Ways Being a Night Owl Could Hurt Your Health - TIME Magazine.
- 16 most exciting party cities in the world - The Telegraph.
- 25 Most Exclusive Clubs On The Planet - Best Life.
- AMBER LOUNGE - the ultimate VIP nightlife experience which follows the F1 Grand Prix series around the world. Venues: Monaco, Singapore, Delhi & Abu Dhabi.
- Annabel's member's club becomes the ultimate pin-up girl - The Telegraph.
- Avicii’s dad: 'I miss him every minute, but I get angry at him for leaving' - "On April 20, 2018, the world lost a music superstar, chart-topping DJ Avicii. Aged just 28, he tragically took his own life while on holiday in Oman."
- Berghain: Could you get into Europe's most exclusive nightclub? - The Telegraph.
- Berlin's nightclubs fight for same cultural status as opera houses - "Clubs tell parliament that without protection gentrification threatens their existence."
- Best party cities around the world - CNN travel.
- BLACKBOOK MAGAZINE AND CITY GUIDES - hotels, restaurants, travel, nightlife, fashion, shopping, reviews, celebrities.
- Bottle service - the sale of liquor by the bottle in mostly American lounges and nightclubs. The purchase of bottle service typically includes a reserved table for the patron's party and mixers of the patron's choice. Bottle service can include the service of a VIP host, who will ensure that patrons have sufficient mixers and will often make drinks using the patrons' liquor bottle and mixers.
- Charter member - definition & explanation.
- CLUB - Wikipedia.
- CLUB AWARDS - honor the clubbing peaks of the previous year: The parties that caused countless missed work days; the DJs who made wall flowers into dancers.
- Disco then shower at 33,000ft: Dubai hotelier launches £10k-an-hour ‘party jet’ - "Plane can accommodate up to 16 people and is aimed at super-rich who ‘want to enjoy the money while still alive’."
- DISCOTHÈQUE - Wikipedia.
- DJS OF THE FUTURE DON'T SPIN RECORDS—THEY WRITE CODE - Wired.
- DRESS CODE - Wikipedia.
- Fabrice Emaer - (1935-1983). Called "The Prince of the night" was an impresario whose nightclubs le Sept, Le Bronx and le Palace, were the premier spots in Paris nightlife in the 1970s and early 1980s, celebrated in memoirs and songs like Amanda Lear's 1979 song "Fashion Pack" which declared, "In Paris you got to be seen at Maxim's / The Palace / The 7 and then go Chez Regine."
- FIND ALL BARS - guide to all the best bars in the world.
- First look inside legendary London club Annabel's as it unveils £55m makeover - The Telegraph.
- Giorgio Armani, King of Milan Nightlife - The New York Times.
- He's Been Hiding Celebrities Since 2007 - "With haunts like The Bird Streets, Bootsy Bellows and Delilah, John Terzian is the rare club owner that famous people trust. But when everyone is a paparazzo, how does he keep a secret?"
- How to Be Better at Parties - "Whether you love them or hate them, parties are important. They are where people meet future business and romantic partners and friends, where small talk becomes the stuff of life. Who among us, save the most self-sufficient and confident partygoer (and who is that insufferable person, anyway?), wouldn’t like to party better? This guide will teach you how to make seamless, beautiful small talk that leads to important conversations and connections. It will ease you into mingling effortlessly, and it will even demonstrate the right way to leave (without ruining your life). Go forth and party."
- How to party like a Parisian - The Telegraph.
- How will we party post-pandemic? - "In nightclubs around the world, once-crowded dance floors have remained empty for months. If you need reminding, clubbing is close contact activity: People share drinks, hug, kiss and generally invade each others personal space until the early hours of the morning."
- Inside Paris' most scandalous clubs - "Rediscovering Paris' most scandalous salons with Ellen von Unwerth."
- 'It almost destroyed me': behind New York's greatest nightclub, Studio 54 - "In a new exhibition, Studio 54 co-founder Ian Schrager goes back to the late 70s to explore the highs and lows of the celebrity-packed hotspot."
- 'It's an absurd profession': the world's most infamous bouncers tell all - "They have a fearsome reputation for excluding eager clubbers – but as a documentary about Berlin’s doormen is released, three of them explain why their policies are ‘all about tolerance’."
- Kyiv Nightlife Comes Back Amid Urge for Contact. ‘This Is the Cure’ - "Frenzied raves. Crowded bars (with free therapy). And of course, cuddle parties. Nightlife is returning to Ukraine’s capital. But revelers still have to reckon with guilty feelings. Plus curfew."
 - Mark Birley - (1930-2007). Supreme arbiter of aristocratic London nightlife & founder of Annabel's at Berkeley Square in 1963.
- Mark Fleischman: Ex-Studio 54 club owner dies by assisted suicide at Dignitas - "Mark Fleischman, who owned legendary New York nightclub Studio 54 in the 1980s, has died by assisted suicide in Switzerland, his former business partner has said."
- NIGHTCLUB - Wikipedia.
- PACHA GLOBAL - 20+ nightclubs worldwide.
- PETER GATIEN - was the owner of several New York nightclubs, including The Limelight, Palladium, Club USA, and Tunnel. He was once dubbed as the "King of New York Clubs", during his time in New York City.
- Prince William & Harry's favourite nightclub found trying to pass off £10 Prosecco as £360 Dom Perignon champagne - The Telegraph.
 - RÉGINE Zilberberg - (1929-2022). Founded in the 70s the international nightclub chain Chez Régine, Jimmy'z (the 'z' for Zylberberg), Club Maona in Monte-Carlo (named for MAria Callas/ONAssis) and Régine's.
- RÉgine, Whose Discotheque Gave Nightlife a New Dawn, Dies at 92 - "Credited with opening the first disco, she built an empire of glittering playgrounds for the Beautiful People in Paris, New York and beyond." The New York Times.
- Ron Doud - DESIGNER OF STUDIO 54 - "RON DOUD'S life reads like a film, but with a tragic ending. Doud grew up and studied interior design at Seattle, graduating in 1970."
- RUTH FLOWERS - world's oldest DJ. Official website.
- Scotch-Club - in Aachen, Germany was the first discothèque, opening on October 19, 1959. It was closed in 1992. In the 1950s, dancehalls were common throughout the world. People danced to the music of a band that usually played cover songs. On October 19, 1959, the former restaurant re-opened as a dancehall, but the owner didn't want to hire a band and used a record player instead. Klaus Quirini, a volunteer newspaper journalist reporting on the event, was as bored as most of the visitors and took over the record player. He used the style common with many radio news reporters, announcing songs and audience games and giving comments. The first song he played was the chart hit Ein Schiff wird kommen by Lale Andersen. His style was immediately popular, and he from then on remained the disc-jockey, the first DJ ever. As DJ Heinrich, he organised other DJs to found a workers' union that made DJ an official (i.e. healthcare registered) profession. Since the opening of the Scotch-Club in late 1959, other discothèques opened throughout Aachen and in other major towns. When the first club opened in the USA, there were already 17 discos in Aachen.
- Social jetlag - are late nights and chaotic sleep patterns making you ill? - "Waking later at weekends can have the same effect as jetlag – and lead to weight gain, reduced mental performance and chronic illness. But there is a solution."
- Soir - "Event guide in the major cities worldwide. Soir collects new and obscure experiences for the adventurous city dwellers through a network of experience specialists. Currently available in Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Milan and rapidly expanding to the rest of the world."
 - STEVE RUBELL - (1943-1989). American-Jewish entrepreneur and co-owner of the New York disco Studio 54 (1977-1986) in the old CBS television studio on West 54th Street that the network was selling. Rubell became a familiar face in front of the building, turning people down at the door and only letting in those who met his specific standards. Rubell also dealt with the club's celebrity patrons, ensuring that they were thrown lavish parties. His tactics worked, and the club made $7 million during its first year.
- Subway party - Wikipedia.
- The best days of disco: New York nightlife by Bill Bernstein in pictures - "From Studio 54 to Paradise Garage, Bernstein was there to document the euphoric late 70s peak of the New York City disco scene."
- The world’s best private members clubs - ShortList Magazine.
- THE WORLD'S FINEST CLUBS - "VIP nightclubbing around the world."
- TIPS ON TABLES - vintage reviews of famous nightclubs and restaurants, mostly from the New York area.
- What happened to the great London nightclubs? - "In the past 15 years, some of best-loved venues of the London club scene have shut their doors, for reasons ranging from crime to gentrification and Crossrail."
- WORLD'S BEST BARS - bars, cocktail lounges and cool pubs around the world.
- World's best city for nightlife - "Berlin nightlife from the wildly hedonistic to the traditional."
- World’s 12 Highest-Paid DJs - Forbes.
Kenya
Nairobi
 - Simba Saloon - night club on the premises of the Carnivore restaurant with a capacity of 2,500.
Mauritius
Pointe aux Canonniers
 - Les Enfants Terribles | LET - "Number 1 VIP hotspot in Mauritius. This outstanding club managed by PURE is renowed for bringing some of the best international DJs from around the world."
Morocco
Marrakech
 - 555 Famous Club - at Hotel Ushuaïa Clubbing, Avenue Mohammed VI.
- AZAR - "The Oriental Way." Rue de Yougoslavie, (côté boulevard Hassan II), Guéliz.
- CafÉ Arabe - 184 Rue Mouassine, Medina.
- Cantobar - 38/39 boulevard Moulay El hassan.
- Comptoir Darna - Avenue echouada hivernage.
- Le Churchill bar - at La Mamounia, Avenue Bab Jdid.
- Le Palace F Avenue Echouhada, corner of Rue Chaouki.
- Le Grand CafÉ de la Poste - Boulevard el-Mansour Eddahbi, Gueliz.
- Le Studio - 85 Avenue Moulay Rachid, Gueliz.
- Level Five - Boulevard Oued Al Makhazine.
- Lotus Club - Rue Ahmed Chawki, Hivernage.
- NIKKI BEACH F Circuit de la Palmeraie.
- PACHA MARRAKESH - "The best club in Morocco." Zone hôtelière de l'Aguedal, Boulevard Mohamed VI.
- SUITE CLUB - at Hotel Le Méridien N'Fis.
- The Royal Mansour Bar - at Royal Mansour, rue Abou Abbas.
- THEATRO F Rue Ibrahim El Mazini.
South Africa
Johannesburg
 - Cantare - 1 Montecasino Blvd, Magaliessig.
- Churchills Bar - Shop 52 upper level, Galleria Piazza, Melrose Arch.
- Great Dane - 5 De Beer St.
- Movida - Rivonia Crossing, 3 Rivonia Rd & Witkoppen Rd, Sunninghill.
- TABOO F 24 Central, Corner Fredman Drive & Gwen Lane.
- The Summit Club - 110 Claim St, Hillbrow.
- Truth - Old Pretoria Rd, Halfway House, Midrand.
Pretoria
- Vanity - 22, Groenkloof Plaza, 53 George Storrar Dr & Bronkhorst St, Groenkloof.
Togo
Lomé
 - Le PrivilÈge - "The biggest club in Togo." Avenue Pompidou, Quartier Assivoto.
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