The writing appears to be on the wall for Babylon, one of Johannesburg’s few remaining queer clubs.
MambaOnline received a report over the weekend that the popular venue, located in the upmarket suburb of Illovo, Sandton, will close its doors at the end of February.
A post on the club’s Facebook page dated 23 January 2026 seemed to confirm the news. It read:
“The Grand Finale! 15 years of music, freedom, and connection come down to this.
“We aren’t just closing a door; we’re going out with the biggest celebration Joburg has ever seen.
“The Final 10 Nights of Babylon. Every Friday & Saturday. 30 Jan – 28 Feb.”
MambaOnline has attempted to contact Babylon’s management via phone, social media and WhatsApp to confirm the closure and clarify the reasons behind it, but has received no response.
In 2021, the club celebrated its 12th anniversary and acknowledged the challenges facing LGBTQ+ nightlife. Management pointed to the rise of dating and hook-up apps such as Grindr, which they said had contributed to declining foot traffic at queer venues.
The owners also highlighted that Babylon – know for its shirtless barmen, go-go dancers and packed dancefloor – had survived the devastating impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns on the hospitality industry.
In more recent years, the club faced criticism over an increasing number of heterosexual patrons. Some community members argued that this shift diluted Babylon’s role as a queer “safe space”.
Babylon co-owner Heinz Rynner described the venue as a “straight-friendly” bar and defended the diversity of its clientele, particularly the presence of cisgender heterosexual women.
“Everyone gets along and has a wonderful time. It’s a thriving, inclusive social ecosystem,” he said at the time.
It remains unclear what will replace Babylon in the space it currently occupies. Whatever the reasons behind its closure, the loss of the club reflects a broader and ongoing decline in dedicated queer venues in South Africa’s largest city.
10 Responses
Is it really closing? Or is this a marketing campaign?
Surely there’s more to life than clubbing and alcohol?
“More to life than clubbing”?? What could that POSSIBLY BE????
Let me connect the dots:
“declining foot traffic at queer venues”
“increasing number of heterosexual patrons”
“presence of cisgender heterosexual women”
“diluted Babylon’s role as a queer “safe space””
and then we have…
“Everyone gets along and has a wonderful time. It’s a thriving, inclusive social ecosystem,” – this last one seems a bit delusional to me.
Agree, but also was always a mission ordering drinks. Spent half the night at the bar and took forever. I wanna dance at a bar / club, not stand and wait for drinks. Also you had to walk through the smoking area to get to the non-smoking area. Silly setup. And those little munchkins who purposefully bumped into you on purposefully to spill you drink and step on your show, not for me. It’s had it heyday. Time for a fresh new concept. The the recreational d…. also got out of control.
That place needed new management or to be closed down ….
Don’t just give up!!I was the DJ at ex – Champions for much longer than 12 years!!!I was part of the the Birth Of CHAMPIONS!!!Do not put the blame on Covid!!!Something else is wrong…..Are you stil open so I can hop in and check and will immediately see what is wrong….
!!
Thank you!
You cannot open a space for queer people then invite all the straight people cause “straight friendly”. Babylon did this to itself.
When I was the resident DJ of CHAMPIONS it was straight friendly!I am straight and had no problems during my 15 years of playing their.Not just playing Champions I played a many times in well known straight clubs where guys was also hanging out.At The Pride raves I played was a lot of mixtures!Being Gay should not complain about “to many straights”The majority came their for the music and a great atmosphere!!!Thanks!!,DJ BOBBY C