Uniting diverse underground nightlife collectives to create a block party in downtown Cape Town.
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Cape Town is preparing for a cultural moment as the city readies itself for a full-scale ignition of artistry, sound, movement and style.
Taking place from 17-18 January 2026, Sheer City launches its inaugural edition: a two-day, day-to-night block party unfolding across six downtown venues.
Anchored in the Harrington Street district at Harringtons, District, Surfa Rosa, Zer021 Social and The Electric, and extending into the City Bowl fringe at Texas, the festival celebrates Cape Town’s creative pulse and its long, storied relationship with LGBTQ+ culture and the city’s unwavering devotion to unforgettable nightlife.
The lineup has been curated to honour Sheer City’s founding intention: a return to rave culture in its purest form, shaped by exceptional selectors drawn from across global and local circles.
Designed as a fluid, walkable inner-city experience, the festival brings together international icons, high-design production and flawless audio, visionary local curators, DJs, performance artists and fashion-driven subcultures, creating an environment that encourages exploration of the people, rooms and energies that define Cape Town’s creative identity.
It is a collective conjuring by some of the city’s most influential promoters, united by a single purpose: to create more than a party, to foster a community and to spark moments of shared magic.
It is a celebration of joy, expression and collective authorship in a city that has long stood at the intersection of multi-genre music and cultural experimentation.
Sheer City intentionally embraces multi-racial and multi-gender identities across every stage. It becomes a multi-venue constellation of sound, style, art and community.
Six distinct experiences sit within one shared universe, shaped through collaboration between Sub Sahara, The Death of Glitter, Tropical Disko, CTEMF, Mila Rose & Friends and Bridges for Music. International and local artists meet across the programme, creating a festival language rooted in global talent and Cape Town’s future-minded creativity.
The lineup includes Horse Meat Disco, Freudenthal, Ante Perry, Tama Sumo & Lakuti, Make A Dance, Flemish.Fetish, Esa and Thor Rixon, alongside more than twenty local artists and a wide network of dancers, performers and installation artists.
Here's what to expect
Each venue holds its own character within the Sheer City universe:
Sheer Drop at Texas | 2pm – 10pm
A daylight invitation into the festival’s energy, setting the tone for what unfolds across the district.
Sheer Delight at The Electric | 5pm – 2am
Mila Rose and Friends return with a joyful takeover featuring The Electric After 5 crew and a special guest appearance from Johannesburg’s Lelowhatsgood.
Sheer Disco at Harringtons | 6pm-4am
Sub Sahara curates a steamy, high-tempo room featuring Avi Subban, BlaqKongo, Flemish.Fetish, Fogshow (Live), Make A Dance, Roz and Shugi.
Sheer D.O.G at Zer021 Social | 8pm-4am
The Death of Glitter presents an explosive one-night spectacle honouring a defining queer institution. Featuring Tama Sumo and Lakuti, special guest Mandy Alexander, DOG residents Phijos and Dragmother, plus a surprise Sheer City headliner taking the midnight slot.
Sheer Assembly at District | 8pm-4am
A reunion that pays homage to one of Cape Town’s most formative venues. Downtempo and Dub journeys from dj low and GlenVst on a custom-built Void system pay homage to set the tone with live electronic pioneers Sibot and Markus Wormstorm returning to the stage to take things up a notch. Das Kapital and Niskerone return to take care of late-night weight, with headliner Freudenthal channelling Discothèque.
Sheer Dive at Surfa Rosa | 9pm-4am
Pearl Daddy’s hosts the weekend’s mischievous corner with Shaun Westwood, Faffa Bruwer, Dario and Mr Mo. A dive bar reimagined for maximal release.
From daylight dancefloors to subterranean after-hours, each room becomes a moving portrait of performance, costume, rhythm and community.
And the celebration continues:
Sheer City Simmer Down | Texas 2pm-8pm and Harringtons 6pm-2am
Presented by Bridges for Music and Sub Sahara, Sunday offers a warm, soulful South African afternoon featuring deep house, Afro-centric sounds and a headline moment from Esa, a Cape Town icon marking a defining chapter in his career. Harringtons closes the weekend with reflective house music and surprise back-to-back sessions from some of the weekend’s top picks. Bloody Mary’s and a braai are there for returning partygoers in need of some fixing.
The name Sheer is intentional and playful. It holds he, she and her – a nod to fluidity. It evokes the softness, luxury and transparency of sheer fabric. It suggests sheer delight, sheer freedom and sheer possibility. And it hints at boldness, the sense of a sheer drop, the thrill of expression without restraint.
Tickets available online.
