Dakar
If you only have time for one live-music venue, don't miss Just 4 U. The small stage of this outdoor restaurant has been graced by the greatest Senegalese…
Must-see entertainment in Africa
Durban
This classy lounge-bar is in an up-and-coming part of Durban, but for now it's best to grab a cab to get here. This sprawling bar and lounge has a…
Tangier
Steps from the Kasbah Museum is an unassuming tiny cafe, but every night the place gets rocking with a free concert by Arabo-Andalusian fusion band Les…
Zanzibar Town
The gap left by the closure of the much-loved Cine Afrique has been filled by the even-more delightful Zancinema. Owned and run by a local movie…
Asmara
The eye-catching Cinema Impero from the late 1930s is made up of three massive windows that combine strong vertical and horizontal elements with 45…
Tetouan
Every night starting around 8pm, young locals pull out their guitars and jam outside a cafe in the heart of the medina. The ambience is vibrant and the…
Cape Town
A Capetonian treasure and lifeline to the independent movie fan, the four-screen Labia is named after the old Italian ambassador and local philanthropist…
Johannesburg
This swanky den recalls the atmosphere of an old NYC jazz club. You’ll find mellow, live jazz Tuesday to Saturday evenings from around 8.30pm. It also…
Simon's Town & Southern Peninsula
One of the city’s intimate dinner-and-a-show venues, this theatre is housed in an atmospheric converted church. You don’t need to eat here to see the…
Addis Ababa
Thanks to some of the city’s best azmaris (local minstrels who improvise amusing poetry and songs) performing here, Yewedale is resoundingly popular and…
Centro Cultural de España en Malabo
Malabo
This large cultural centre offers Spanish courses as well as a wide array of free events such as concerts, film, theatre and dance, exhibitions, a library…
Cairo
Regular Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows by musical ensembles such as Rango, a trancey Sudanese folk group, and the El Tanboura Band, playing…
Centro Cultural de España en Bata
Rio Muni
Housed in an interesting, modern building on the seafront, this cultural centre offers free music, dance, theatre, exhibitions and a library in addition…
Alexandria
Bustling arts centre in the heart of Alexandria, offering live gigs, contemporary theatre, film screenings and art exhibitions. There is a book and craft…
Cabo Verde
For the best local music, head to this Platô restaurant, which showcases live acts every night except Sunday. Traditional sounds abound, from morna and…
Bahir Dar
Unlike other more touristy places around town, this fine venue should do the trick. The focus here is more on live music and dance by well-known local…
Dar es Salaam
Traditional and modern dance, live music and more at the monthly Barazani multicultural nights. It’s held on the second or third Wednesday of the month;…
Malabo
Built to co-host (with Gabon) the African Cup of Nations soccer competition in 2012, this stadium holds 15,250 fans. Regular matches are played here;…
Simon's Town & Southern Peninsula
The program at this small theatre (seating 171) changes on a pretty regular basis, veering from stand-up comedy and live music to musical revues and more…
National Company of Song and Dance
Maputo
The National Company of Song & Dance, Mozambique’s renowned national dance company, has occasional performances in Maputo that are well worth attending.
Addis Ababa
This dark and moody bar has live jazz every night and it's far more mellow than most other Addis nightspots, even after the band finishes and a DJ takes…
Maputo
Teatro Avenida is home to one of Maputo’s best-known theatre groups, Mutumbela Gogo. Plays are in Portuguese.
Accra
Ghanaians love football, and this 40,000-seat stadium close to Independence Square, opened in 1960 and modernised for the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, is…
Cairo
Performances by the Cairo Opera and the Cairo Symphony Orchestra are held in the 1200-seat Main Hall, where jacket and tie are required for men …
Tunis
More than just a cinema, this local cultural space offers up regular art exhibitions as well as music and comedy nights. The leafy courtyard cafe is often…
Johannesburg
With exposed bricks and iron beams, visible piping and a long bar, the Good Luck Bar has obvious remnants of its previous life as a warehouse for buses…
Tunis
An avant-garde space next to the Parc du Belvédère staging contemporary theatre, music and dance. Check its website or Facebook page for its program.
Cape Town International Convention Centre
Cape Town
Since opening in 2003, the CTICC has barely paused for breath, packing in a busy annual programme of musical performances, exhibitions, conferences and…
Sea Point to Hout Bay
These bimonthly live gigs, going since 2010, are hosted in unique, unusual venues throughout the city and surrounds. They mix new, up-and-coming artists…
Cairo
This super-cool creative space aims to be a ‘trampoline’ for contemporary art, which gives an idea of the fun to be found here – there's a regular program…
Ghana
This is really just a collection of art and craft stalls, rather than a place to watch cultural performances (although these do happen from time to time)…
Gauteng
Previously known as Soccer City, this was the headquarters of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The stadium is shaped like a calabash and dominates the abandoned…
Johannesburg
Jo'burg's most respected live-music venue gained prominence as a Melville jazz haunt in the late '90s before getting the world-music tip and relocating to…
Green Point & Waterfront
From November to April, this open-air cinema sets up shop on Thursday nights to screen classic and crowd-pleasing movies on the croquet lawn next to the…
Johannesburg
This cool independent cinema in the heart of Maboneng hosts international film festivals, shows throwback movies and airs provocative documentaries. Sit…
Cape Town
Consisting of three different-sized auditoriums, this behemoth is the city’s main arts complex. Theatre, classical music, ballet, opera and cabaret shows …
Cape Town
It wouldn’t be summer in Cape Town without a visit to Maynardville Park’s open-air theatre to see some Shakespeare. Bring a blanket, pillow and umbrella,…
Bahir Dar
If you’d like an entertaining cultural experience and a good laugh, visit this place. Various azmari (local minstrels who perform a mix of music and…
Senegal
Set amid a lush forest-like setting a few kilometres from Toubab Dialaw, this open-air theatre hosts concerts and stages plays periodically from October…
Cairo
Egyptian rock and jazz bands play at this lively and very active complex of a dozen performance spaces and galleries tucked under a bridge overpass. There…
