At some point you know the evenings in Pretoria by heart. The same venue, the same show, the same old crowd. Not bad – but not the thing you look forward to all day either. If that sounds familiar, you are in the right place. Because there is an evening in Pretoria that feels different.
Pretoria - the Jacaranda City has a quieter secret
Pretoria is famous for its jacarandas, which turn whole avenues purple each spring, for the Union Buildings above the city and for its role as South Africa's administrative capital. Yet between the parks and the government terraces there is something no tour mentions: a circle of men who gather to cultivate humour, art and friendship. This is Schlaraffia.
On paper a cultural society; in spirit the opposite of what "club" usually suggests: no committees, no agenda, no one you are supposed to impress - an evening ruled by wit, music and real conversation. A worldwide fellowship in which a tradesman sits beside a professor and, after an hour, nobody asks what anyone does "in real life".
Tuesday evenings at 12 Umgazi Road
The chapter meets on Tuesdays, at seven o'clock in the evening, at 12 Umgazi Road. The evening has an easy thread but no programme: someone recites a poem of his own, someone makes music, someone gives a talk and is interrupted twice by a good punchline. No phone on the table, no agenda, no question about your profession.
Anyone in Pretoria looking for an evening that leaves you richer rather than tired is in the right place with us. A guest visit costs nothing and commits you to nothing - with the real risk that afterwards you will say: "I haven't had an evening like that in a long time."
🦉 Our Reych is called Castra Praetoria and carries the number 392 in the worldwide fellowship of Schlaraffia, founded in Prague in 1859. Above it all stands the motto of every Schlaraffe: In arte voluptas - in art lies delight.
An evening where everyday life stays outside
Picture a circle of men who meet regularly – not to compare who drives which car, but to laugh together, to listen and, for a few hours, to set aside the seriousness of life. No phone on the table, no schedule pressure, no rivalry. Instead: a poem, a song, a clever punchline, a good conversation.
What counts here is not oneʼs profession or bank balance. A tradesman sits next to a doctor, a teacher next to an entrepreneur – and after an hour no one remembers who does what "in real life". That is exactly what makes these evenings so refreshingly different.
Why it does you good, especially today
So much of our free time has become quiet, solitary and spent in front of a screen. We consume rather than take part. An evening in real company – with people who listen to you and whom you see again – has almost become a luxury. It is the kind of leisure that leaves you not tired at the end of the day, but richer.
And the best part: you need no skills and need bring nothing. Those who wish contribute something themselves – those who would rather listen, listen. Both are welcome.
What to expect on such an evening
You arrive, are warmly welcomed and need not worry about a thing. The evening has an easy thread running through it: sometimes someone recites a poem, sometimes there is music, sometimes a good punchline draws hearty laughter. In between there is plenty of room for conversation – the kind that stays with you the next day. No one pushes, no one tests you, no one is trying to sell you anything.
As a guest you are invited simply to be there. Many describe it afterwards with the same sentence: "I havenʼt had an evening like that in a long time." And that is precisely the point – hours that stand out from the routine, in the best sense.
🦉 And what is it called? This evening has a name: Schlaraffia – a worldwide association of men who cultivate humour, art and friendship. In Pretoria there is a circle of its own that meets regularly.
Curious about an evening like this?
Come along as a guest – free, without obligation and completely relaxed.
