By early evening the beachfront is still busy: surfers are out on the swell off the Golden Mile, walkers are moving along the promenade, and the restaurants and bars that line the waterfront are filling up. Further inland, in the streets around Florida Road, tables spill onto pavements and the evening settles into a long, sociable meal before anyone moves on.
Durban's nightlife is spread out rather than concentrated in one quarter, and it follows the city's geography: the beachfront and the harbour for sundowners and sea air, the inland streets for restaurants and bars, and Glenwood for live music and club nights. It suits visitors who want a warm evening outdoors, an early start and a relaxed pace more than those looking for one dense clubbing district.
Where to go out in Durban
1. The Golden Mile and the beachfront
The Golden Mile is the nickname for the beaches near downtown that run along the Indian Ocean. The waterfront has hotels, bars and restaurants, along with play pools and playgrounds for children, so it works as an evening base as much as a daytime one. Joe Kool's, on the beachfront, is named in the sources as a well-known spot for a sundowner after a day on the beach, with a roof-top deck.
This suits an early, low-key evening: a drink, a meal and a walk within sight of the water. Note that the beachfront is at its most crowded around the Christmas holidays and much quieter in the off season.
2. Wilson's Wharf and the harbour
The port area gives you a different setting from the beach: drinks with a view of the harbour rather than the surf. Zacks, at Wilson's Wharf on Victoria's Embankment, is described as a popular place for drinks and for relaxing with that view. The BAT Centre, also at the port, is a good stop for a quick meal or drink, with free jazz most nights plus other concerts, hip-hop and the occasional poetry slam.
This is a good choice if you want music with your evening without committing to a late club night.
3. Florida Road
Florida Road is described as the happening street in Durban: restaurants, bars, cafes and boutique shopping in what the sources call a happy, friendly hang-out. Book Base, at the top of Florida Road, is singled out as the city's most interesting book shop and is open every day.
It suits a mixed group, since you can eat, drink and browse in the same stretch, and it is the most straightforward option if you want one street to carry the whole evening.
4. Glenwood
Glenwood is where the sources place the city's dedicated music venues. The Origin is a club with a focus on electronic dance music, and The Winston Pub hosts regular rock concerts and a monthly drum & bass party.
This is the area to head for if live music or a dance floor is the point of your night rather than a side effect of dinner.
5. Umhlanga
Umhlanga, on the coast north of Durban, has a street cafe culture with restaurants and pubs, and is described as a place people come to shop, unwind and party. Its winter festival is held on the main beach and its summer festival on the main street, where live jazz bands play late into the evening.
It suits a visitor staying north of the city, or anyone who wants a full evening of eating and drinking in one walkable area.
6. Clubs and late-night venues
Beyond the named venues, the sources note that Durban is known for its pot and that you will find it easily around the clubs. They also state plainly that the police do care if tourists break the law, and that being caught with it can get you thrown out of the country.
Treat the legal position as the deciding factor, not the atmosphere of the venue.
7. Cafes for an early start
If your evening begins early, Freedom Cafe on St Marys Ave in Morningside is named for coffee, breakfast and lunch.
This is a daytime and early-evening option rather than a night out in itself.
How a night out unfolds
The sources do not set out a fixed timetable for Durban evenings. What they do show is that the beachfront and the harbour are built around the sundowner, the drink taken after a long day on the beach, which places the start of the evening around sunset. Dining and drinking on Florida Road and in Umhlanga run through the evening, and in Umhlanga the summer street festival has live jazz playing late into the evening. Club nights in Glenwood and the late venues elsewhere are the last stage. Plan around an outdoor start and an indoor finish.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Poetry Africa - international festival of poetry, early October every year.
- Time of the Writer - international festival of writing, March every year.
- Durban International Film Festival - international festival of film, July or August every year.
- Jomba! Contemporary Dance Festival - international festival of contemporary dance, held every year.
- Durban Fashion Fair - held at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, September every year.
- Durban July - July every year, described as Africa's premier horse-racing event, with celebrities and walking fashion models in the crowd.
- Hindu festivals - numerous and not well publicised, so you will have to ask around. One falls at Easter in the Umbilo area, where devotees walk on hot coals, and another called Kavady moves between February and July, with devotees piercing their backs with hooks and dragging decorated portable shrines.
- Umhlanga festivals - a winter festival on the main beach and a summer festival on the main street with live jazz bands playing late into the evening.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I go if I want one street to carry the whole evening?
Florida Road is described as the happening street in Durban, with restaurants, bars, cafes and boutique shopping in the same stretch, which makes it the simplest choice for eating and drinking without moving around.
Where can I hear live music?
The BAT Centre at the port has free jazz most nights along with other concerts, hip-hop and the occasional poetry slam. In Glenwood, The Origin focuses on electronic dance music and The Winston Pub hosts regular rock concerts and a monthly drum & bass party. In Umhlanga, live jazz bands play late into the evening during the summer street festival.
When is the beachfront busiest?
Around the Christmas holidays, when the sources say you should expect it to be crowded. In the off season you will practically have the place to yourself apart from the serious surfers.
What should I know about drugs before a night out?
The sources state that Durban is known for its pot and that you will find it easily around the clubs, but also that the police do care if tourists break the law and that you can be thrown out of the country if you are caught with it.
Decide whether your evening is a beachfront sundowner, a long dinner on Florida Road or a late set in Glenwood, and plan the rest of your night around that one anchor.