First Thursdays

We decided to explore the Cape Town city bowl for #FirstThursdays

First Thursdays in Cape Town is a free cultural experience where art galleries and other cultural attractions in the central and East city districts stay open late on the first Thursday of every month.

What started in late 2012 with just 6 art galleries has grown into one of the city’s foremost cultural experiences, attracting thousands of people every month.

First Thursdays Art & Culture

The night is as much about experiencing art and culture as it is about exploring the city on foot.

We suggest browsing the highlights right here and choosing a few exhibitions and attractions that you’d like to see, but be open to letting the night take its own course.

Print maps are available at most listed venues

We explored the new installations and work by street artist Mr Migo to reveal “the reason why”

First Thursdays During Lock Down

Local galleries + online exhibitions

South African Galleries might be closed, but most still have exhibitions on at the moment, with teams working remotely.

Browse exhibitions online, or request exhibition catalogues directly.

Below are a few ways to engage with some of these galleries online.

– Explore some of the world’s greatest art collections on Google Arts & Culture. Zoom into Van Gogh’s ‘Terrace of a café at night’, explore the ‘Picture Gallery in Tranformation’ exhibition at Sao Paulo’s MASP museum featuring Lino Bo Bardi’s original glass easles designed for the museum, or walk around Berlin’s Pergamon Museum.

– Listen to Sean O’Toole’s ‘Music to Social Distance To’ playlist on Spotify (via Artthrob)

– Watch some of the short films from SXSW 2020, which was cancelled due to the global lockdown.

– Aloe Aloe has set up a programme of nightly performances you can livestream from the comfort of your home, giving local musicians a chance to make some dough during lockdown.

– Watch the much-anticipated South African film ‘Moffie’, the release of which coincided with the lockdown. Support the film by purchasing a ticket and streaming it at home.

– Make something – whether drawing, painting, or writing – choose your medium. Consider joining local artist Alice Toich’s #21DaysOfArtSA challenge.