By Our Reporter
The day began with a steady downpour that guaranteed that the venue of the latest edition of Blankets and Wine – Lugogo Cricket Oval – would be wet and muddy. However, that did not stop party people from turning up in large numbers – with many showing up in gumboots. Some smart Ugandans even capitalized on the opportunity by selling gumboots at the venue for those that didn’t bring their own.
Despite the mud, the event was a resounding success, with Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) stepping up to deliver exciting experiences with several brands – Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff Pineapple, Gilbeys Mixed Berries and Rockshore Tropical Beer.
Each of UBL’s experiential zones had dedicated cocktail bars with professional mixologists preparing a wide variety of drinks for the guests. There were also games like foosball, a 360 camera and a silent disco that had attendees hooked.
Meanwhile, on the main stage performances kicked off slightly after 3 pm with the A Ka Dope Band and Tracy Melon, followed by Akeine, who started her set with a beautifully delivered cover of Beyonce’s Sweet Dreams.
Kenyan Sol Generation signee – Bensoul performed some of his older hits like Thick Thighs, however, he threw in some new songs from his latest album – Lion of Sudah – like Legalisation and Same Page.
Joshua Baraka – a crowd favourite – performed Mama I Made It, Angel of Mine, Let Me Love and others before ending his set with the upbeat Nana.
There were other performances from Rwanda’s Mike Kayihura, Melvyn DJ, DJ Lynda Ddane and DJ Alza before the main act – South Africa’s Cassper Nyovest took the stage and performed hits like Ghetto and the classic Doc Shebeleza.
Swangz Avenue’s Azawi was the final act of the evening, taking the stage at 11:36 pm and performing songs from her rich catalogue before bringing the event to an end.
