Labia Theatre, Independent cinema in Gardens, Cape Town, South Africa

Labia Theatre is an independent cinema in Gardens, Cape Town, occupying a building that began as an Italian Embassy ballroom opened by Princess Labia in 1949. It has four screening rooms of different sizes, from a larger main hall to smaller rooms, and retains original features such as the ticket booth, sweets counter and seats.

The building opened in 1949, founded by Princess Labia as a venue for live stage performances, and the name has remained ever since. Over time it shifted away from theater and became a dedicated cinema, a role it has kept to this day.

The Labia's name comes from Princess Ida Labia, who opened the building in 1949 as a ballroom and theatre for the Italian embassy next door. Productions by the Cape Town Repertory Theatre Society and the Afrikaans company KAT were staged here, and playwright Robert Kirby directed work on the stage. The KAT folded in 1962, partly under the cost of using the venue, and the Reps sold their share.

The cinema sits in the Gardens area, a central part of Cape Town that is easy to reach on foot from several nearby neighbourhoods. Going a little early is useful, as it gives you time to get something from the bar before the screening begins.

One thing that sets this cinema apart is that guests are allowed to carry drinks from the bar directly into the screening rooms, which is uncommon for cinemas in South Africa. The bar serves a mix of everyday drinks alongside more unexpected options like gluhwein and slush puppies.