The owner of Babylon Bar in Johannesburg, Heinz Rynners, has opened up about the closure of the popular long-standing queer venue, and his future plans for the brand.
In a recent Facebook post, the Illovo bar and nightclub, located in the city’s Illovo suburb, announced that it would shut its doors at the end of February. The post offered no explanation for the unexpected decision, fuelling rumours and speculation.
MambaOnline contacted Babylon owner Rynners about the closure, and he confirmed that the venue will permanently close from 1 March 2026.
“I Wanted to End It on a High”
Rynners said there was no dramatic or urgent crisis behind his decision, explaining instead that the time felt right for Babylon Bar to bow out gracefully after 15 years.
“I wanted to end it on a high. We have still been doing well, but the market is thinning out,” he said. “The culture has changed. There seem to be fewer gay people and more fluid people. And people are drinking less, which impacts us.”
He added: “We could have run it for a few more years, but I didn’t want to run it dead — then it wouldn’t end with the memory of all the good times.”
A Personal Decision Beyond Business
Rynners admitted that his decision extended beyond business considerations.
“It was also a massive personal decision — my identity has been linked to the place for so many years. And I wanted to get out of the nightclub life — I call it the vampire life,” he said with a laugh.
Changing Queer Spaces and Community Needs
Commenting on the broader queer club and party scene, Rynners shared a view that some may find somewhat controversial, saying that society has become more inclusive of LGBTQ+ people than in the past.
“There’s more integration of gay and straight. The world is more open [today]. I think there is less need for gay-only spaces. I’m gay myself, but I would never open a gay-only place again.”
Responding to Criticism About Babylon’s Crowd
Rynners also addressed criticism that, in later years, Babylon Bar’s patrons became increasingly heterosexual and cisgender.
“We really tried our best to keep it gay. When people complained it was too straight, we even showed more explicit videos on the screen. But [ultimately] I still had to pay the bills.”
The Babylon Brand Will Live On
For fans of Babylon Bar, it’s not all doom and gloom. Rynners revealed that the brand will live on through occasional, smaller pop-up Babylon tribute events, which he plans to host upstairs at his Pink Mamas restaurant in Dunkeld.
In the meantime, there’s still an opportunity to celebrate the end of an era with the remaining final big party nights at Babylon every Friday and Saturday until the end of February.
7 Responses
Please consider opening at Carnaval Mall as the parking is secure
Who THE HELL cares??!! Except it IS good to learn that “people are drinking less”. The owner, of course, sees this as a negative, as he would. That tells you all you need to know really.
you obviously care. You are here commenting on it.
Please explain your thought process behind thinking that acknowledging that revenue is down due to lower alcohol sales is a bad thing? Its a club, their main revenue driver is the bar. Its a completely rational decision he’s making. Why you being a doos?
yeah because it’s so uncommon for a bar owner to be upset about getting less customers? Use your brain please Tim
I also read that comment an thought well done people are making healthier choices.
The reduced use of alcohol is showing in the numbers across the world and is affecting not only clubs, but many food focused establishments, regardless of gender. In Canada, where I live and grow up or is increasingly the underlying reason for many closures in addition to extreme labour and rent costs for businesses. As a gay man, once what were once considered safe spaces for communities have now disappeared and business owners have to pivot and adapt with the times. For many folks, regardless of age or orientation, it’s rent or food as a need versus entertainment and higher alcohol price points as a want and the decisions are the former, not the latter in all honesty for the most part.
The many times I have gone to Babylon, I must confess, I noticed how starkly different the drinking culture is, compared to other establishments. You never saw ice buckets teeming with drinks. No bottle service with expensive drinks being served to tables. People there generally would buy a single beer or cider at a time, which was absurd to me. My friends and I suspected that a lot of patrons were already on some substances and would just get one or two beers to stay hydrated. Also the prices of drinks were not cheap. It would be interesting to know what straight patrons felt seeing all those videos constantly looping scenes of sexually explicit content, although it seemed noone cared, the times I went there. Such a shame to lose another venue for the queens to enjoy themselves in.