A Guide to the Best music festivals in Uganda

In the last couple of years, music festivals in Uganda have gained immense popularity both locally and regionally. They have become big business for organisers, a social media frenzy for music aficionados, and an important platform for discovering new, talented musicians.

Hundreds of thousands of fans from Uganda and across the East African region buy tickets to attend events such as the Nyege Nyege International Music Festival in Jinja, the Bayimba and Kampala music festivals in Kampala, as well as the Milege World Music Festival in Entebbe.

Now with the 2018 summer music festival season just around the corner, here is a roundup of the best music festivals in Uganda that we hope you might want to attend…

Nyege Nyege International Music Festival

Dates: September 6–9

Location: Shores of River Nile, Jinja

Highlights: Full lineup TBA

Follow: @NyegeNyegeFest

The festival: What was known for the last three years as the Nyege Nyege International Music Festival has been remixed for 2018 as MTN Nyege Nyege following a three-year partnership deal with MTN Uganda.

The festival started in 2015 as the brainchild of Arlen Disizilan and Derek Debru and, since then, Nyege Nyege has been drawing thousands of fans to the source of River Nile – the world’s longest river – for a killer music experience.

Nyege Nyege boasts a diverse lineup drawn from pop, hip-hop, dance/electronic, afrobeat, RnB, and much more. And the lineup for the 2018 edition is about as representative as it can get, with a slew of incredible performers from Congo, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, South Africa, the UK, the US, Belgium and Tanzania.

Get ready to rediscover Orchestre Les Mangelepa, a Congolese band that was formed way back in 1976, or fall in love with Sho Madjozi, a fast-rising South African rapper.

However, fans should expect a Ugandan musicians-heavy roster as 70 per cent of the performers will be sourced locally.

And then, according to the organisers, this year’s edition will feature a boat cruise, camping options and surprise DJs… We bet shots from the festival will be enviable fodder for many social media feeds!

Kampala City Festival

Dates: October 5–7

Location: Kampala Road

Highlights: Full lineup TBA

Follow: @KlaCityFestival

The festival: This one describes itself as East Africa’s biggest street party, and the 2018 instalment of the Kampala City Festival promises to keep that reputation intact. Now in its seventh year, the festival will be running under the theme, “7 Years of Transforming the City”.

Kampala Capital City Authority’s big summer festival blowout, which returns to its convenient Kampala Road location on October 5-7, will feature everything: lots of music, food, wines, beer, kids’ games, etc. Basically, this is the kind of festival where everyone finds something to like.

In the organisers’ own words: “Every first week of October, Kampala becomes animated with flamboyant sights, vibrant sounds & lively rhythms in concert with an array of floats winding through the streets with dancers on show as they spin, whirl & twirl to mesmeric beats of celebration along the festival route.”

Spread over three days, this year’s musical options will swing from well-established to lesser-known acts.

Milege World Music festival

Dates: November, actual dates TBA

Location: Entebbe Botanical Gardens

Highlights: Full lineup TBA

Follow: @MilegeAfroJazz

The festival: This one guarantees a beautiful setting in the expanses of Entebbe Botanical Gardens. The Milege World Music Festival, which takes place in November, has been a staple of the world music community for six years running.

The Milege Band-organised festival describes itself as a “non-profit initiative whose main objective is to promote and grow the appreciation of cultural music in Uganda.”

Performers at the festival are drawn from different parts of the world, including Asia, Europe and America. Even though this year’s acts are yet to be announced, fans can expect performances from the usual suspects: Milege Band, Apio Moro, Ruth Bahika, Totemo, KYP Gumboot, and a host of cultural musicians from Uganda and across the continent. Check back here later for the full lineup, which is typically announced August.

Bayimba International Music Festival

Dates: August 2-5

Location: Shores of Lake Victoria

Highlights: Full lineup TBA

Follow: @Bayimba

The festival: Oftentimes shortened to simply “Bayimba Festival,” the Bayimba International Music Festival is an annual celebration of the music and culture of Uganda. Over the past decade, Bayimba has grown into the biggest flagship music festival in the country.

For the 2018 instalment, the festival will be relocated from its traditional venue at the National Theatre in Kampala to a sprawling “new home in the midst of a leafy environment at the shores of Lake Victoria.”

“We have been thinking about the long-term viability of the festival so that we can continue to go on for another 10 years. We have been exploring different approaches to sustain our annual festival and are extremely excited to have been able to acquire an amazing location,” festival director Faisal Kiwewa said recently in a statement.

At this year’s event, a dynamic mix of local and foreign musicians will be spread across four stages, representing genres such as hip-hop, reggae, local pop, traditional music, RnB, etc.