The Cape Town Club

Founded in 1858 and revived in 2024, the Cape Town Club is an historic members’ club reimagined for a more modern, more inclusive Cape Town.

The Cape Town Club today is both stately and spirited. Tradition meets transformation — with drag brunches, scientific salons, jazz nights and lectures. It’s where modern Cape Town gathers, and where every member belongs.

The Club began in 1858 and found its permanent home in 1898 — a Sir Herbert Baker design, funded by Cecil Rhodes. Once a hub for South Africa’s early powerbrokers, it was where Jan Smuts drafted the 1939 declaration of war. Women were admitted in 1979.

After closing in 2017, the Club returned in 2024 to honour its past while embracing a more inclusive future.