Why it’s time Dar had dedicated entertainment districts

The reaction was predictable. Some applauded the decision, arguing that residents have every right to peaceful nights. Others lamented the loss of jobs and businesses.

Social media erupted into the familiar battle between those demanding silence and those defending nightlife.

This newspaper, also, has done its part in sparking a necessary fire with this debate, and it is time we added some fuel.

For me, the real question is why are we trying to solve an urban planning problem with police action? The discussion shouldn’t be about where to put DJ booths but about what kind of city we want to be.

Cities thrive on a particular rhythm. Markets rise at dawn, business districts come alive in the morning, industrial areas hum through the day, and nightlife awakens at dusk.

You can’t have it all in one space - just like you can’t get an orchestra play a symphony while every musician insists on a different song.

So, the world’s most successful cities tend to have designated entertainment districts.

Think of New York’s Times Square. By day, millions stream through its streets. At night, it powers a nightlife economy that supports 300,000 jobs and generates over $35 billion annually.

London has Soho and Covent Garden, where around 1.32 million people work across the night-time economy. Shenzhen has Huaqiangbei, the world’s largest electronics market, which transforms after sunset into a thriving entertainment district.

The lesson is simple: cities thrive when compatible activities are clustered. We zone industrial areas because factories make poor neighbours for families.

We cluster wholesale markets to benefit buyers and sellers alike. Why, then, do we scatter nightlife—with its unique demands for transport, security, and noise management—across residential neighbourhoods?

Of course, this raises the inevitable question: should Dar’s entertainment return to the CBD?

For decades, Posta was not only the city’s commercial heart but also its social heartbeat. New Africa. Savannah. Bilicanas. Rhapsody’s.

These were landmarks of an era when the city centre stayed alive after office hours. Today, once the last commuter boards a bus, Posta falls into an eerie silence.

I think there is a compelling case for reviving Posta’s nightlife. Fewer permanent residents mean fewer conflicts over noise. Roads, parking spaces and public infrastructure already exist but are significantly underutilised at night.

Police presence is stronger. Hotels are nearby. Visitors can move between venues on foot rather than driving from suburb to suburb.

But nostalgia aside, Dar is much bigger than Posta now. Expecting someone to drive across the city to Posta for live music or a glass of wine is not practical.

Perhaps, then, the answer is not having one entertainment district, but a network of carefully planned night economy zones.

If I were sketching Dar’s nightlife map 50 years from now, I would begin with three places.

Firstly, the rapidly growing Kawe-Africana corridor is perhaps the strongest candidate, already boasting a thriving hospitality scene, good road connectivity, the ocean, and room for orderly growth.

Next, the Mlimani City-Sam Nujoma corridor offers another compelling option, anchored by a major shopping centre, universities, hotels and transport links that could support a vibrant night economy.

Finally, there is Coco Beach. More than just a stretch of sand, it is one of Dar’s greatest natural assets, with the potential to become East Africa’s premier waterfront and culture entertainment district.

There is quite a lot to say here but wherever these districts emerge, we shouldn’t allow them to simply become a concentration of bars.

That would merely relocate today’s problems. Instead, we should aspire to build what economists call night economy ecosystems.

Imagine wide, walkable streets where pedestrians take priority over cars. Reliable transport. Soundproofed venues. Safe, vibrant public spaces. Live music, art, comedy, cafés, cinemas and food markets.

Bookshops that stay open until midnight. A place where the city doesn’t simply party after dark—it comes alive.

I have written quite a lot about that over the years. A successful night economy is not measured by how loudly the music plays, it is measured by how many different people feel they belong there. That is ultimately why this conversation matters.

People deserve peaceful nights. In this instance, our political masters are right. But businesses also deserve certainty - not periodic crackdowns under a law written in 1968.

If entertainment venues keep colliding with residential communities, this is no longer a compliance problem—it is a city planning problem.

This discussion is no longer whether Dar should have nightlife, it is about whether Dar is finally ready to plan for it. We shouldn’t risk stifling our culture and economy by overregulating entertainment.

We should rather treat it as an essential urban industry and build world-class destinations that would put Dar on the global tourism map.

Over to you.