Red Bull Unlocked Cape Town, South Africa: Ten Venues in One Night on 26 September 2026
SOUTH AFRICA · NIGHTLIFE
Key Facts
- —What is happening Red Bull opens ten bars and clubs at Cape Town’s cruise terminal for one night on 26 September.
- —How big More than 70 artists and DJs play across ten venues, all covered by a single ticket.
- —What it means The event page lists a 2 pm start, and the last two editions ran through to 2 am.
- —The catch Ten rooms run at once, so you will miss sets however carefully you plan the night.
- —Who it affects Anyone driving to the Cruise Terminal, since no parking price for the night has been published.
- —What comes next Organisers have not released set times, an end time or a ticket price for 2026.
Red Bull Unlocked Cape Town turns the city’s cruise terminal into a ten-venue night on 26 September 2026. Here is what visitors and new residents should know first.
Red Bull Unlocked Cape Town returns to the V&A Waterfront in South Africa on Saturday 26 September 2026. One ticket opens ten rooms and more than 70 artists in a single night.
What the night actually is
Red Bull bills this as a one-night-only experience. Ten bars, clubs and creative spaces open at the same time under one roof.
One ticket covers all of them. You walk between rooms instead of queueing outside a different club each time.
More than 70 artists and DJs are billed across the night. A DJ is a disc jockey, the person mixing recorded music for a dance floor.
The Citizen counted ten participating venues for the 2026 edition. Five come back from last year and five are new.
The returning names are Broke, Fools Gold Social Bar, Souk, Destiny and Drama. The new ones are Texas, HALO, Beluga, Club Paradise and The Athletics Club and Social.
Where Makers Landing sits
Makers Landing is inside the Cape Town Cruise Terminal, on the working edge of the V&A Waterfront. V&A stands for Victoria and Alfred, the two old harbour basins the district grew around.
In an ordinary week it runs as a food market and a kitchen incubator for small food businesses. The National Treasury’s Jobs Fund put R63 million (about US$3.9 million) into that project.
The site is a working cruise terminal rather than a purpose-built club. That is part of why one event can spread across so many separate rooms.
Drivers are pointed down Dock Road from Coen Steytler Avenue, heading towards the Silo District. At the circle before South Arm Road you turn right into the Cruise Terminal.
The terminal sits apart from the main shopping mall. Do not assume you can park at the mall and stroll across in two minutes.
Who is playing
The 2026 bill leans heavily on South African names. A-Reece, Dee Koala and Sliqe cover the hip-hop side of the building.
Oscar Mbo, Jullian Gomes, Babalwa M and Dwson carry the house and Afro house rooms. DJ PH from radio station 5FM, Teddy Tumi, Tristan Urwin, DJ Phil and Enrico Celento also appear.
The genres listed run from amapiano to Afro house, hip-hop, deep house, Afro tech and R&B. Amapiano is a South African dance style built on deep basslines and airy log-drum patterns.
Set times had not been published in mid-September. That matters, because ten rooms running at once means you will miss something.
Amapiano now fills stadiums at home. Our report on the Scorpion Kings at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg shows the scale it has reached.
Doors, hours and pacing yourself
The Red Bull event page lists a 14:00 start, which is 2 pm. The ticket page for the date carries the same time.
Ticket terms for the 2024 and 2025 editions ran the night through to 2 am. No end time has been published for 2026.
An afternoon start is unusual for a club night. It lets you arrive in daylight and learn the layout early.
Earlier ticket terms told guests to arrive early and allow time for queues. The same pages promised security checkpoints and medical staff on site.
Those terms also described the event as mostly indoors and weather protected. That is a useful line to read in a Cape Town spring.
Getting there and getting home
Ticket pages for earlier editions listed both on-site and off-site parking. They also described a street closure supported by Metro police and the South African Police Service.
No parking price for 2026 has been published. Budget for a paid bay and expect the closest ones to go first.
E-hailing apps such as Uber and Bolt operate across Cape Town. Set your pin to the Cruise Terminal, because the Waterfront has several separate drop-off points.
Organisers have announced no shuttle and no late-night bus service for the night. Treat public transport after midnight as unavailable unless something is confirmed.
Prices climb when ten rooms empty at once. Agree a meeting point before you split up inside.
How the night has run before
This is not a first attempt. The 2024 and 2025 editions used the same cruise terminal site and the same ten-outlet format.
Both earlier ticket pages advertised one night, ten outlets and more than 70 artists. The 2025 night opened at 2 pm and closed at 2 am.
Those pages also promised a controlled registration point and several security checkpoints. Organisers have not said whether the same arrangements return this year.
Tickets, age limits and the weather
Tickets are sold through the Red Bull event page, which routes visitors to an online seller. No price for 2026 had appeared by mid-September.
For context, listings for the 2025 edition showed R150 to R200 (about US$9 to US$12). Treat that as last year’s figure and not as a promise.
Ticket terms for the 2024 and 2025 editions said no under-18s and asked for an identification document. Organisers have not restated those rules for this year.
Late September is early spring in the Western Cape. Evenings cool quickly once the sun drops behind the mountain, even after a warm afternoon.
The south-easter wind can pick up hard along the harbour edge. If you are new to the city, our guide to the cost of living in Cape Town covers the wider picture.
More: South Africa news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is Red Bull Unlocked Cape Town 2026?
It runs on Saturday 26 September 2026 at Makers Landing, inside the cruise terminal at the V&A Waterfront. The official event page lists a 2 pm start, and no closing time has been published for this year.
How much do tickets cost?
No price for 2026 had been published by the middle of September. For comparison, listings for the 2025 edition showed R150 to R200 (about US$9 to US$12), which is last year’s figure rather than a guide.
Is there an age limit?
Ticket terms for the 2024 and 2025 editions said no under-18s and required an identification document at the door. Organisers have not restated that rule for 2026, so carry a passport or identity card anyway.
How do I get there and home again?
Earlier editions listed both on-site and off-site parking, plus a street closure supported by the police. E-hailing apps are the usual way home after midnight, and no shuttle or late-night bus service has been announced.
Sources: Red Bull South Africa, The Citizen, SlikourOnLife, the official ticket page and Cape Town Magazine; see https://www.redbull.com/za-en/events/red-bull-unlocked-south-africa and https://www.citizen.co.za/lifestyle/entertainment/red-bull-unlocked-cape-town-2026-over-70-artists-10-venues-and-more/ and https://tickets.airdosh.co.za/event/red-bull/t8zUwAlToqbA449 and https://www.capetownmagazine.com/makers-landing. Currency conversions use the 13 September 2026 rate of 16.14 rand to the US dollar, from open.er-api.com.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
Read More from The Rio Times