The Nyege Nyege music and arts festival, which is held annually in Uganda and is the East African state’s biggest tourism event, has announced it will be holding its 9th annual festival on 14-17 November 2024 at the Source of the Nile by Jinja.
The event is to be a celebration of Pan-African diversity under the theme ‘Afrogalactic Carnival’ that will aim to combine future forward music with ancestral traditions, highlighting Uganda’s natural beauty and rich tapestry of cultures. The festival will also once again showcase the diversity of Ugandan traditional music with traditional acts coming from all over the country.
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. It will 2 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 organisor Derek Debru said he was delighted that the event would be returning for a ninth year and encouraged to book tickets early while they remain on sale at a discounted price. “Nyege Nyege 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,” he said.
Currently representation at the event will include curated showcases from Sudan, South Africa, Ivory Coast, DRC, India and Brazil, as well as all East African countries and special partnerships with cultural organizations representing all parts of Uganda. The 2024 event will feature a special showcase from Sudanese artists-in-exile that is being curated in partnership with Kampala-based Sudanese artists. Thanks to their government’s support, Brazil and the UK will also be heavily featured in this year’s program.
In 2023 the festival was a success in production and in providing a safe environment for its revelers and this year Nyege Nyege will again be working with all security stakeholders to ensure it is a resounding success. Long-term sponsor Uganda Breweries will host three distinct experiences at the event, in addition to a new Hakuna Kulala stage that will deliver a 96-hour music and performance marathon and comprising both live acts, DJs and dance and theatre performances.
Nyege Nyege’s long-term partner Talent Africa is known for being Uganda’s number one event production company and in 2024 the Festival will be staged at a brand new site: twelve acres at the Source of the Nile in Jinja, Njeru. It is opposite of last year’s location that saw more than 20,000 people from across Uganda, Africa and the globe gather for the four-day event to hear some of Africa’s most exciting acts.
The new site features a brand new aquapark, ample parking, camping infrastructures, and is naturally secured, making it the perfect home for Nyege Nyege to stage this year’s event. The organizers have partnered with neighboring lands to establish and run this year’s campsite, which will be directly connected to the festival site.
Nyege Nyege will also have a special partnership with Kingfisher Resort, which will offer accommodation 5 minutes away from the site. This year Nyege Nyege is furthermore partnering with Platinum Tours and Travels to create a series of tourism packages that will enable festival-goers the chance to discover the Pearl of Africa before and after the festival. This includes opportunities to go on safari and to visit local cultural sites.
The 2024 line-up will be announced on July 1st and will include the announcement of guest curators from Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. Last year’s festival included the BET award winner South African superstar Sho Madjozi; Vigro Deep who brough the best of the signature South African house music genre Amapiano; Grammy-nominated and BET winner Ugandan singer Eddy Kenzo; Nigerian hip-hop singer and songwriter Aunty Rayzor; and the acclaimed African DJ Kampire, who has played festivals across the world.
The new dates were formally announced today at the Pearl of Africa Tourism Expo staged by the Uganda Tourism Board in Uganda’s capital Kampala. Nyege Nyege is Uganda’s biggest tourism event and this year’s festival is expected to provide a $10 million boost to the country’s economy.
It will create 2,000 jobs directly through the festival and a further 2,000 jobs through the springing up of businesses to help facilitate visitors. Further economic benefits arising from the event include vendors being selected to sell goods and services, support services for the visiting artists, professional service companies support and accommodation and travel bookings.