The Dragon Room

Clubbing for the discerning socialite

The beautiful people, the beautiful people – are in The Dragon Room, the latest scenic addition to Cape Town’s clubbing landscape, every Friday and Saturday night.

The queue on Harrington Street, in the east side of the city, moves swiftly along the red carpet and inside (aided by hostesses with iPads in hand, no grubby paper guest lists here).

Clubbing is about more than just music – a successful night out should be a vacation for the senses; a respite from the displeasures that stark reality can bring. The Dragon Room (formerly Chevelle) clearly subscribes to this idea, as soon as you enter the club it’s a visual, tactile and aural feast.

Party in luxury

The commercial house music flows from the main dance floor, just on the left of the opulent entrance. Inside podium dancers show the punters how it’s done. There’s another smaller dance floor, as well as five bars, one of which is VIP. In the VIP section gaggles of gorgeous guys and gals populate over-sized chaises, their table tops strewn with premium booze. There are also private booths, upholstered in sumptuous velvet, that make for the perfect hideaway while still being in the thick of things.

And what a view the VIP section has, hovering above the main dance floor it wraps around the entire perimeter, and even stretches behind the DJ box.

The décor is, in a word, decadent. Elaborate chandeliers light the way; gilt edged mirrors hang on textured wallpaper, and the general plush feeling is punctuated with bright red Chinese lanterns. There’s quirkiness to the luxury too: keep an eye out for the metre-high Alexander McQueen mirror mosaic skull in the VIP area, as well as the wooden throne on the upper level dance floor—a royal party indeed.

Happy, bouncy music

The music is selected with a fun party in mind – the aim here is not to challenge revellers with edgy beats, but instead to provide a thumping background of bouncy grooves. Expect a musical tapestry woven of progressive, tech, house and electro.

Open both Friday and Saturday nights, the music is played by a mix of local talent and international DJs and producers – some from locations as far flung as Doha and Argentina. Saturdays are usually reserved for the club’s ‘event nights’ where you could expect a Grey Goose sponsored party, say featuring house DJ Roger Goode. Their regular night, ‘Sure Thing Fridays’ always has an all-star line-up—one that will keep you on the dance floor till closing time at 4am, stiletto heels and all.

Partying at The Dragon Room is never just a night out; instead it’s a premium party destination. Go on, take that vacation—your senses deserve it.

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Party at Sure Thing Fridays, or check out Cape Town's counterculture at The Side Show.

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