Preparations in top gear for 2nd edition of Nairobi festival

Preparations are in top gear for the much-awaited Second Edition of The Nairobi Festival to be held at the revamped Uhuru Park.

The six-day event, which seeks to showcase Nairobi’s cultural diversity and artistic spirit, kicks off on December 12, 2023.

Speaking to the Star, Nairobi County Executive in charge of City Culture, Arts and Tourism, Anastasia Nyalita said the event is expected to attract over 300, 000 people.

“There will be something for everyone. We have divided the event into zones; culture zone, trade zone, sports zone, creative zone and health and wellness zone,” she said.

Nyalita said she is optimistic that Nairobi Festival will be the biggest of its kind in Africa soon.

“The potential is huge; we estimate about 50,000 will participate in the event each day. Last year, about 20, 000 people on average participated each day,” she said.

The Nairobi Festival was officially unveiled in 2022 by Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to provide an opportunity for Kenyans to appreciate the city’s diverse food, culture and art.

 Sakaja, in the inaugural edition, emphasised the festival’s focus on celebrating Nairobi’s rich culture, featuring artists exclusively from Nairobi County.

The event provides a platform for vendors and businesses to showcase their products.

The county chief promised that this year’s festival would reach international standards, with increased partnerships and a more extensive budget, setting the stage for a grander international event.

Clement Rapudo, the Chief Officer- City Culture, Arts and Tourism, said they intend to make Nairobi Festival an international event.

“First, we want to document our culture and we have started by collecting data which we will package and then invite people from all over the world to come and sample,” Rapudo said.

He added that the focus of the county at the moment is promoting the creative space.

“As for now, we want to celebrate Nairobi as a creative hub while at the same time identifying and developing local talent,” Rapudo added.

On December 5, 2023, Nyalita and Rapudo flagged off the 2nd Edition of the Nairobi Festival caravan.

“This year’s edition will be bigger and better and is expected to attract huge attendants. This event will highlight Nairobi’s diversity and talent, spanning music, cooking, art, and various cultural expressions,” Nyalita said.

He added that the caravan will be used as a platform to discover and empower artists through creative arts, including music, dance, and spoken word.

The caravan has been traversing the 17 sub-counties in Nairobi.