Uganda: Nyege Nyege fest back in mid-November

The event will return for a ninth year and run under the theme, Afrogalactic Carnival. It will combine future-forward music with ancestral traditions, highlighting Uganda’s natural beauty and rich culture. The festival will also showcase traditional Ugandan music and celebrate pan-African diversity.

The organisers have said that the 2024 event will curate a special showcase of exiled Sudanese artists, in partnership with Sudanese artists based in Kampala.

“Uganda is known worldwide for being a host to refugee communities from across the East African region, and this year Nyege Nyege will showcase the many talents in exile in Uganda, including Sudanese, Congolese, Eritrean, Burundian and Ethiopian artists,” the organisers said.

“It will also feature a series of cultural pavilions and stages that showcase music, fashion, food and culture from different parts of East Africa and the continent, echoing Uganda’s global reputation as one of the world’s most hospitable countries.

Festival organiser Derek Debru added: “The festival aims to reflect Uganda’s hospitality and cultural diversity, advocating for peace and an insatiable thirst for a good time, which is the exact definition of Nyege Nyege in Uganda.”

Nyege Nyege 2024 will feature artists from South Africa, Ivory Coast, the DRC, India, Brazil and all East African countries. Brazil and the UK will be highlighted in the programme after the two countries’ governments entered into partnerships with the festival. 

The festival will be staged at a new 12-acre site at the source of the Nile in Jinja. More than 20 000 people from around the world attended the festival in 2023, which featured performances by Sho Madjozi (South Africa), Eddy Kenzo (Uganda) and Aunty Rayzor (Nigeria) and DJ Kampire (Uganda), among many others.

The full line-up and guest curators from Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania will be announced on 1 July. 

Tickets to the festival can be purchased here.