Thursday nights at East City's Harrington Street

From jazz to rock to techno and Funk First Thursdays

Last updated: Friday, 22 December 2023

You can dig into tapas at a Great Gatsby-esque cocktail lounge; grab well-priced drinks at its dive bar; knock down rum cocktails from Rum Runner’s mahogany bar; party all night to hip-hop and electronic or in a mosh pit. And on Thursdays this four-in-one nightlife spot becomes a hub of local music with live bands and DJ nights. 

Each venue at Harringtons has its own vibe, different dance floor and crowd.  Image: Harrington Street

4-IN-1 NIGHTLIFE VENUE

The building has four different restaurants and bars under one roof. 

Named after the street you’ll find it on, Harrington's Cocktail Lounge has polished wooden accents and panoramic windows that’ll remind you of a scene from The Great Gatsby. 

Meanwhile, Surfa Rosa next door is a dive bar with loud rock music, affordable drinks and killer pizzas. 

District nightclub up top has state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems for a night of frivolity filled with live music, DJs and dancing.

Then there’s Rum Runner, the latest addition, which evokes Havana’s golden age of rum drinking with a mahogany bar and antique mirrors.

For big events, the spaces can be linked by opening up the sliding doors from one area into another. Image: Harrington Street 

THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE MUSIC AT HARRINGTON’S

Thursdays have a vibe all on their own. East City Sessions, which take place from 7pm onwards, started as jazz nights inspired by the music of District Six.

They’re now a myriad of styles and genres performed by live bands like Nomadic Orchestra (a five-piece instrumental band with infectious dance music), Sonik Citizen and Cape Tone (which features two time SAMA award-winning artist Mark Fransman), and Lea Venga (known for her deep and sultry, very versatile vocals). 

The band lineup changes regularly and after 10pm the DJ hits the decks with sounds of techno.

Harrington’s Cocktail Lounge has velvet bottle service booths, a smoking lounge and boutique DJ booth. Image: Harrington Street

LIVE HIP HOP, ROCK, TECHNO AT DISTRICT

District is a completely different vibe. Some nights are just a jol with a diverse line-up of hip-hop, electronic, and hyper-pop with acts like Casey Lowry, a UK-based indie-pop artist that’s blown up on TikTok.

Other nights are rock and punk, with mosh pits, shirtless drummers and stage dives (they’ve had bands like Springbok Nude Girls, icons of local rock). 

Entry is free until 10pm, after which it costs R50. 

District is a stellar birthday party or corporate function venue; it hosts between 100 and 400 people. If you have a bigger guest count, by hiring District and Rum Runner, you can accommodate up to 600 people.

There are live band performances every Thursday night at District. Image: Harrington Street

FUNK FIRST THURSDAYS AT HARRINGTON’S

First Thursdays at Harrington’s are funk nights and free entry until 9pm. The disco decor is complemented perfectly by the sounds of indie, disco and house, and because it shares a balcony with Rum Runner, the two often share the same crowd for the night. 

You can book a booth to enjoy mains like fresh Saldanha Bay mussels and pea and chevin risotto (with pine nuts). 

Later in the evening, the DJ fires up the dancefloor and the cocktails start flowing, and there’s plenty of interesting house cocktails like Bittersweet Mexican (burnt honey and charred grapefruit with Avion Reposado, fresh lime and soda) to keep the night going.

The decor for Funk First Thursdays always includes streamers and a disco ball. Image: Harrington Street

PLUS TECHNO FIRST THURSDAYS AT DISTRICT

The atmosphere is cosy and festive at District on First Thursday, where the venue is often decorated with chandeliers, disco balls and strobe lighting. 

Kyle Cassim is a regular in a lineup of talented DJs that keeps the dance floor packed every first Thursday of the month. Other DJs that have played include Timo ODV and Chunda Munki.

District hosts a variety of events throughout the month so be sure to check out their calendar to see what's happening. Image: Harrington Street

3-HOUR HAPPY HOUR AND HALF-PRICE TAPAS

Know what else fans of Harrington’s come for? The happy hour specials at the cocktail lounge: Every day from 4pm to 7pm (for summer) on all their classic cocktails and tapas (half-priced) from 4pm - 6pm.

Food faves include Korean fried chicken with gangjeong sauce and sesame seeds, and mushroom arancini with roasted garlic mayo. 

The next bestseller is the corn ribs with chipotle vegan mayo, and, if you plan on staying the night, the flame-grilled rib-eye is the most popular menu item. 

With its rustic-glam style, Harrington’s is the ideal venue for an intimate music experience that goes well with tapas, dinner service, cocktails and wines.

Harringtons offers classic cocktails and special in-house cocktails. Image: Harrington Street

VISIT HARRINGTON STREET

Harrington Street is open: Wednesdays & Thursdays, 4pm till late; Fridays & Saturdays, 3pm to 4am
Find them: 61b Harrington Street | District Six | Cape Town
Book: Via dineplan.com
Contact them on: 078 916 7903, bookings@harringtonstreet.co.za, @harringtonsct

By Khadeeja Adams 

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FOR MORE TO DO IN CAPE TOWN

Find out more about Fridays at East City's Harrington Street.

Get beer and a bunny chow at this East City dive bar.

Plan your birthday at one of these special places to celebrate.

We’ve got your weekend plans sorted with things to do this weekend.

Drink cocktails at our guide of top bars in Cape Town.

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