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Ever been to a country that along with its rich and diverse wildlife is also popular for its numerous festivals and events. If your answer is ‘No’, we have the perfect destination for you. That happens to be a magnet for attracting travellers from around the world. The country in discussion is the land of Kenya. And one can easily visit the country through the numerous Kenya flights that flow into the country. Kenya tourism over the years has grown rapidly and widened its horizon. Kenya has many more options than ever before for international travellers. But there are some festivals and events that happen only during certain months of the year. Some of these happen only in the country and form the basis of Kenya Tourism. So kindly have a read of the list of festivals in Kenya.
List Of Festivals In Kenya
1. Nairobi Restaurant Week
The first event to hit Kenya is the exhilarating gastronomical event known as the Nairobi Restaurant week. As the name suggests the event happens in the capital city of Nairobi and lasts over 10 days. The festival over the period invites food lovers to the numerous restaurants in Nairobi. That help in spreading the wonders of gastronomical joy across the masses. During the festive event, every restaurant in Nairobi offers national and international delicacies at pocket-friendly prices. This happens as the restaurants that are a part of the celebration offer heavy discounts on their entire menu. And happy hours for beverages of your choice.
Celebration Month: January/February (10 days)
2. StoryMoja Festival
The next event that has given momentum to a revolution in Africa. And successfully given a nudge to Kenya tourism in the right direction is the StoryMoja festival. The festival is sort of a literary fest but with a slight twist to it. The festival witnesses celebration of stories, ideas, culture and writing. Through storytelling, poetry, skits, workshops, debates, books and many other literary means. The festival has become so massive that it has earned the name of ‘the biggest book party’ in East Africa. The event has been going on for 14 years. And has only grown in popularity over the years.
Celebration Month: February (5 days)
3. Safaricom International Jazz Festival
The next festival to hit Kenya is one of the greatest music fiestas in all of East Africa. The jazz festival is a haven for all Jazz music lovers. As the event becomes a live beacon for all the greatest Jazz artists of the century. Artists like Jimmy Dludlu, Kunle Ayo, Keita Salif and many more popular jazz performers have graced the festival with their presence. The Safaricom Jazz Festival witnesses Jazz music fans flocking to the event from all across the globe. And give a light nudge to Kenya tourism while supporting local African artists.
Celebration Month: February (1 day)
4. Africa Nouveau Festival
The next festival on the list of festivals in Kenya that supports Kenya Tourism is the Africa Nouveau Festival. It is an annual art and music festival that takes place in the month of March. The event witnesses artists from different streams of talents come together and celebrate the Kenyan art scene for three nights and three days. Events like concerts, dance performances, DJ’ing, exhibitions and many other activities fan out through the festival. The festival comes alive with colour and music making it one of the most happening events in East Africa. Sometimes, Kenyan flights even offer vouchers or free passes for the festival to their customers thanking them for their loyalty to the airline.
Celebration Month: March (3 days)
5. Cake Festival
Another very popular and well-known festival in the African gastronomical world is the annual Cake festival. The festival attracts bakers from all over Africa to showcase their baking and cake decoration skills. This event brings to light some very creative bakers and cake decorators from around Africa. And also helps them make contacts with some very skilled individuals looking to collaborate with these artistic chefs. The money from the sales of tickets is used to fund different charities in and around Kenya.
Celebration Month: April (1 day)
6. Lake Turkana Festival
The next festival on the list of festivals in Kenya brings us to the Lake Turkana Festival. The event takes place in the month of June and lasts for over 4 days. The festival is particularly popular in Northern Kenya that lies across the Savannah. Tribes like Turkana, Samburu, Gaabra, Borona and Pokot celebrate this festival with entusiamsm and zeal. The festival takes place to foster economic development among the tribes. But the most important agenda of the festival is to revive and imbibe traditional cultural values in the young upcoming generation of the tribes.
Celebration Month: June (4 days)
7. Rhino Charge
Probably one of the most recently celebrated festivals can be the event of Rhino Charge. The event is an exciting off-roading rally racing event. That sees visitors flocking in to witness mighty 4×4’s treading across off-road routes. Racers get to choose from 2 routes, one being a direct but an extremely dangerous route. And the other being a longer but a lot safer route. The race allows visitors to camp along the road to get the first bite of the action. But one would probably have to sign a disclaimer form as these rally cars often than not, do end up on the side of the road.
Celebration Month: June (1 day)
8. International Camel Derby and Festival
The most exhilarating and adrenaline pumping of all the festivals has to be the International Camel Derby and Festival. The festival witnesses players line up on the backs of loud and obnoxiously smelly camels. The lineup is for a race starting from the heart of the city to the finishing line that ends a few kilometres to the outskirts of the city. The race is open for all amateurs and professionals alike. However the most exciting is the start of the race where most of the amateur camel jockeys either start running in the opposite direction or to the side. Very few professional riders are actually able to keep on the course with just one being able to win the race.
Celebration Month: August (3 days)
9. Safaricom 7s
This is another sporting event that over the years has become quite popular with the locals and the tourists alike. The event witnesses several different African rugby teams flock to the country of Kenya for a massive showdown. This annual rugby championship helps hone their skills as athletes and to see which nation has the best rugby team. Also, teams from many different countries come to Kenya for this annual tournament. The event takes place over the weekend until the winner is announced. The event generally takes place in the cooler month of October.
Celebration Month: October (2 days)
10. Lamu Cultural Festival
The last festival on the list of festivals in Kenya that promote Kenya tourism is the Lamu Cultural Festival. The festival takes place in the coastal town of Lamu that is popular for its Swahili culture. The town is popular for its rich history, cultural heritage and for being a UNESCO approved heritage site. The festival happens in the month of November and lasts over 3 days that sees several unique activities like donkey racing and show sailing taking place. However, the best thing to enjoy during the festival is the several different Swahili delicacies made by the locals.
Celebration Month: November (3 days)
