As some of you may know, on the last Friday of every month we have our Maboneng Night Walk and Penthouse Dinner. You get a guided local tour of our neighbourhood and a three-course, fine dining meal in an exclusive penthouse with some of the best views of the city skyline. Sound good? Read on to find out what our guest and I See Africa founder Khumo Theko thought…
The Maboneng night walk was a fresh reminder that the past is not just portrayed in history books – instead it’s in the buildings that shelter us, in the concrete that we walk on and in the trees that surround us.
The night walk through Maboneng hosted by Curiocity is held once a month, the experience is open to its guests and anyone in and around the city. On this mildly chilly Friday night we gathered at Curiocity at 18:30 where we were welcomed with drinks and started our journey through the city.
Our first stop was on the Situation East Rooftop which overlooks the city. Here we were informed about the orientation of Johannesburg mainly how it came about, what it once stood for and the influence of surroundings areas such as Braamfontein and Doorenfontein.
This night walk was quite special as we were hosted by the mastermind behind Curiocity, Bheki Dube. His admiration and knowledge of this city had me appreciate its evolution and got me thrilled about its future. As we looked over the lively streets of Joburg, Bheki educated us on the orientation of the city, he explained how Joburg was built on a piece of triangular land and he even went as far as unpacking the discovery of gold in the city.
Another highlight of my experience was learning about the iconic buildings captured in many images of the Joburg landscape. Bheki spoke about the tall Vodacom building that can be seen from various areas of the city, we also learnt about the former lavish Carlton hotel and the city’s shopping hub, the Carlton Centre.
The night walk continued through Maboneng past Access building where Curiocity hosts their Sportspitality boxercise sessions on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. We then headed to AGOG gallery where we were unapologetically confronted with the concept of African sexuality through a photo exhibition.
The final stretch led us to an open-spaced penthouse with minimalist decor. We were hosted by Curiocity’s in-house chef who served us heartwarming South African food, which gave me a new appreciation of deep-fried pap. The evening gradually closed off with an insightful conversation, great food and a greater desire to continue my love affair with Joburg City.
This experience is definitely one for the travel books.
Want to experience it for yourself? Book here.
