By Our Reporter
Nyege Nyege Festival is back, and the Spirit of Uganda returns as the main partner for Africa’s premier cultural and music destination. The official announcement was made at the Talent Africa rooftop, with festival dates locked in for November 19th–22nd, 2026, as Nyege Nyege returns to Kalagala Falls as its permanent home.
This move marks the start of a transformative partnership designed to expand the festival’s scale, cultural footprint, and economic impact. Uganda Waragi’s steadfast support has been crucial as the festival has grown far beyond a multi-day party into a powerful economic ecosystem.
“Nyege Nyege and Uganda Waragi are both as authentically Ugandan as it gets,” said Hilda Aguti, Head of Mainstream Spirits at Uganda Breweries Limited. “Last year, we proudly celebrated a decade of Nyege Nyege, reflecting on how far this movement has come. Now as we look to the future, we are excited to welcome the world to Kalagala Falls as we broaden the festival’s scale for this movement that truly celebrates the spirit of our people.”
Over the years, Uganda Waragi has walked hand-in-hand with the festival, mirroring a shared journey of year-on-year evolution, bold creativity, and relentless growth.
Just as Nyege Nyege has continually pushed cultural boundaries, Uganda Waragi has also continued to increase its contributions through the UG Stage, hydration points for responsible celebration and improvements to the instagrammable installations at the event.
With all the improvements, the 2026 edition remains true to its musical roots as its lineup promises a bigger, more ambitious experience featuring over 200 artists across seven stages with an expanded Uganda Waragi (UG) Stage and the return of the fan-favorite Reggae Stage and Boiler Room Stages. The flagship UG Stage returns bigger and better, featuring standout acts including Zonke Africa DJ Collective, King Saha, Linus Tattoos, Abeeka Band, DJ Akio (Strictly Soul), and Etania, with more artists to be announced soon.
“After ten editions, we wanted to enter this next chapter around creating with what you have, building your own world and finding ways to share that world far beyond Uganda. This year, those universes come together as the festival becomes part music festival, part movie set and part playground, with the Nile running through the middle of it all,” said Derek Debru, Co-Founder of Nyege Nyege.
This year’s edition adopts The “Wakaliwood Edition” theme, partnering with the legendary Ramon Film Productions. Celebrated filmmaker Isaac G. G. Nabwana confirmed that Nyege Nyege 2026 will serve as an active film set for Wakaliwood’s next feature movie.
Aly Alibhai, CEO of Talent Africa Group, added: “Having Uganda Waragi and all our partners support the vision through a long-term 3-year deal is a game-changer for Nyege Nyege. This new agreement gives us the strategic foundation to expand the festival’s scale, upgrade our infrastructure at Kalagala Falls, and showcase the best of African music and tourism to the world.”
To elevate reveller comfort, festival organizers have executed major site upgrades at Kalagala Falls, including closer parking to the venue, improved ground navigation, and expanded accommodation and camping options.
As part of this year’s festival rollout, Uganda Waragi is also launching a special community tree-planting initiative to support the neighboring community around Kalagala Falls. A selection of indigenous trees will be planted across the area to champion environmental conservation, restore the natural habitat, and provide lasting, sustainable benefits to local residents.
The event is a massive catalyst for local tourism, boosts the hospitality sector including a massive surge in Airbnb bookings. The increased traffic also provides a thriving marketplace for food vendors, arts and crafts artisans, and local businesses in and around Jinja and the Eastern region that look forward to the celebration each year.
Ahead of the main event, regional warmup parties will sweep through Kenya and Rwanda, hosted by media personalities Sheilah Gashumba and Kenya’s Azeezah Hashim, who attended the Kampala announcement.
Discounted diehard tickets are running throughout September exclusively via tagticketing.com.