Kenya Festivals

Watching the festive celebration of Kenya can become an experience to remember.

Witness the varied cultural heritage of Kenya and get the true taste of Africa. Kenyas have been persons rooted in their traditions and festivals have always been integral part of these traditions. Watching Kenyan people taking part their festivals is an entertaining experience. In the process, one can learn a lot about the Kenyan culture.

- The Kenya Tourism Week
- The Safari Rally
- Ferodo Concours d'elegance
- The Air Show
- Rhino Charge
- Migration of Plains Game
- International Camel Derby
- KSPCA and the Shaggy Dog Show
- Music & Food Festivals
- The Dugong Festival/Lamu Donkey Race
- Nairobi and Mombasa Carnivals
- Art Festivals
- Festivals Around National Holidays

The Kenya Tourism Week

The World Tourism Day usually marked on 27th September annually by the World Tourism Organization, (WTO) member countries in recognition of the important role tourism plays in national economies is widely celebrated in here in Kenya. Kenya as a member of WTO observed the event for the first time in 1991 - the year that was also designated by WTO as "The Year of African Tourism". Since then, Kenya's private and public tourism stockholders celebrate this day a whole week, with a climax of activities on 27th September. Members of the public and visiting tourists are invited to join the tourism fraternity in these events which include: special offers by service providers, free trips to selected sites, dinner parties, music extravaganzas, game park cleanup, tree planting, and launching of new products among others.

The Safari Rally
This is an international event organized by World Motor Sports Council based in Paris, through the Safari Rally Kenya LTD. It is held only in Kenya each year, previously always during the Easter holiday but dates are now proposed and confirmed by the Sports Council.

Interested rally drivers are invited from all over the world to take part and they look for sponsorship from recognised companies or individuals, in terms of provision of cars, fueling, prizes, etc.

The rally covers 3,000 Km of challenging terrain through scenic sites in Kenya whose route is assessed and selected by the Sport council officials. It takes 4 - 5 days of racing.

For more information, contact:
The Safari Rally (K) Ltd.
P.O Box 59483, Nairobi
Tel: 254 2 723144 / 7
Fax: 254 2 723147

Ferodo Concours d'elegance
Ferodo Councours d'Elegance has become one of Kenya's major annual events having begun 29 years ago. Held at the Nairobi Race Course, which is approximately 10 km from the city centre, the Concours is a vehicle beauty contest which attracts a wide variety of cars and motor cycles which are checked for their cleanliness and condition. This event is gaining international status with entries from countries like Mauritius, South Africa together with our neighboring East African countries.

The Alfa Romeo Owners Club (Kenya) are the organizers of the Concours which attracts cars and motorcycles as old as 1910 models. It is a closed event for the club members although temporary membership is available to any driver holding a current license. The cars are classified into groups such as the "Vintage" which are made between 1914 and December 1930. Those made before the first World War fall in the "Veteran" class. This year's event had the oldest machine, an Otto Speedster which was made in Philadelphia in 1910. Other attractions were a 1924 fiat, 1928 Ford Tudor, 1934 Railton ports cars, 1966 Mercedes Benz 250 SE among others. A 1922 Triumphed marked the last event of the Century as the oldest motorcycle.

During this event there is also a classic sale which is open to any car of motorcycle made in 1974 or earlier, regardless of the machines condition.

The Concour d'Elegance that will be in the year 2000 will also mark 30 great years of this great event sponsored by Alfa Romeo Owners club. The objective will be to make it a truly international event. Prizes have been donated by "The East African". A team of judges start assessing the cars on a ramp in front of the Racecourse grand stands. This is followed by a thorough scrutiny of the external finish, the interior and boot and the engine compartment. The Motorcycles are also assessed in a similar way.

Families and friends also enjoy a fun day at the Race Course on this day. For the there are bouncing castles, face painting, clowns and a magic show. There is also a spectacular parachute drop by the Smirnoff Sky team. Gala events featuring acrobats, dancers and models are also part of the entertainment.
 
The Air Show
This is an annual event which has been billed as the "fastest growing Air show in Africa". It is organized by the Aero Club of East Africa and is a display of aircrafts, which goes on through out the day with overseas participants joining in. Funds raised are used for deserving Charities.
Some of the aircrafts displayed in this show are:-
Landrover Hawker Hunter - Remarkably fast for it's 40 year old design, it exceeds the speed of sound and is capable of 1,200 km per hour at sea level. It can reach the 40,000 feet cruising level of a Jumbo Jet in 6.6 minutes.

F- 5E 'TIGER' - Dubbed "Freedom Fighter", it is America's and the world's leading export fighter aircraft. There are over 1000 serving in Europe, the Middle East, South East Asia and Africa. The aircraft has a maximum speed of 710 kts (1500 km/h), with a combat ceiling of 50,000 feet, which are powered by two General Electric (GE-85) turbo jet engines.

Pilatus PC 12 - Made in Switzerland, this is a large single engine turboprop aircraft. The entire range of Pilatus are renowned for their Swiss precision engineering and are born from years of extensive testing and refinement to ensure speed, range, economy and above all safety and comfort. The aircraft's performance is impressive with models flying to an altitude of 30,000 feet. Range is 2,250 nautical miles at a speed of 240 knots, while maximum cruise speed is 270 knots.

Whisper Class - The de Havilland DASH 7 is seen but not heard. It is used to transport Tourists, so vital to Kenya's economy, in and out of Kenya's major Game Parks and Reserves due to its low disturbance footprint as it passes, this being a great bonus for noise sensitive wildlife. It has a maximum take-off weight of 20 tonnes and is capable of carrying up to 48 passengers. It is powered by four Pratt & Whitney turbo prop engines each developing 1,120 ship horse power with very impressive STOL (Short Take-off and Landing) which enables it to land at short, rough airstrips.

Besides this display of aircraft there is also the Smirnoff Aerobatic and Skydiving Teams who grace this event with their spectacular colorful shows of their parachutes emblazoned with the SMIRNOFF LOGO and jumps that include a massive Kenya flag, streamer displays, canopy stacking, colored smoke, linkups in free fall and much more.

The event this year will be held during the month of september 2000, the dates are not yet confirmed but somewhere between from 15th and 30th.

For further on Nairobi Air Show information contact:
The Director,
Aero Club of East Africa,
Tel: 254 2 500693,501772, 502174
Fax: 254 2 607654
Email: aeroclub.ea@swiftkenya.com

Rhino Charge
This is an annual car racing event organised by a local Non Governmental Organisation called Rhino Ark Trust which is committed to saving the endangered rhino species in Kenya. It is an event composed of a great mixture of professionalism, fun and family as participants who plus the organisers and individuals or companies who give support and sponsorship are committed to completing Rhino Ark's project to fence the Aberdare region near the Aberdare National Park. This is acclaimed both nationally and internationally for showing the world how determined Kenyans are to secure the future of the Aberdare ecosystem - which is a biosphere reserve and National Park.

Participants race through a trackless drive of over 200 sq. km. Their plotted path is blocked by dense bush, rock outcrops, luggas and ditches and after this hardship and fun making drive, they will have raised enough funds to support the Rhino Ark. There is a comprehensive set of rules and regulations to ensure the safety of entrants and spectators.

It is usually held during an agreed weekend (2 -3 days) between June and September each year. Only 4WD vehicles are allowed for use in this race.

For more information contact:
Rhino Ark Trust
P.O Box 63410, Nairobi
Tel: 254 2 742472 / 90
Fax: 254 2 748750
Email: rhinoark@triad.co.ke
Website: www.rhinoark.org
 
 
The Migration of Plains Game
It is the annual wildebeest migration that plants the Masai Mara National Reserve in the imagination. With a lemming-like instinct, finally gelled into mass movement, the herds gather in their hundreds of thousands on the withering plains of the Serengeti to begin the long, streaming journey northward following the scent of moisture and green grass in the Mara. They arrive in July and August, pouring over the Sand River and into the eastern side of the reserve around Keekorok, gradually munching their way westwards in a milling, unsettled mass and turning south again in October. Never the most graceful of animals, wildebeest play up to their appearance with frolicsome, unpredictable behaviour, bucking like wild horses, springing like jack-in-boxes, or suddenly sprinting off through the herd for no apparent reason.

The Mara River is the biggest obstacle they come up against. Heavy rains falling up on the Mau range where the river rises can produce a sudden brown flood which claims thousands of animals as they try to cross. Like huge sheep (they are, in fact, most closely related to goats), the brainless masses swarm desperately to the banks and plunge in. Many are fatally injured on rocks and fallen branches; others are skewered by flailing legs and horns. With every surge, more bodies bob to the surface and float downstream. Heaps of bloated carcasses line banks, injured and dying animals struggle mournfully in the mud; vultures and marabou storks squat in glazed, postprandial stupor.

The migration's full, cacophonous impact is awesomely melodramatic - both on the plains where the multitudes graze and cavort, and at the deadly river crossings. This superabundance of meat accounts for the Mara's big lion population. Through it all, the spotted hyenas scamper and loiter like psychopathic sheep dogs. Half a million wildebeest calves are born in January and February before the migration; two out of three perish without returning to the Serengeti.

International Camel Derby
The International Camel Derby is an annual camel-racing event organised by the International Camel Race Association. It is usually held during a weekend (Sat and Sun), either in August or September at an agreed venue in the Northern Region of Kenya, which is sunny and dry, and a favourable climate for the camels.

The Camel Race is recognised not only as a serious international sport and a great tourist attraction but also as a positive way to create awareness of the rapid encroachment in the desertification of Kenya. The route, which runs through the Semi deserted regions, involves different phases of the event where only professionals are allowed to race at certain regions. The aim also is to create a focal point in justifying and attracting interest in better camel husbandry among the people of N.E Kenya and to better understand the benefits that such camels can bring to these desert and arid land inhabitants.
Interested parties are invited all over the world to look for sponsorship and participate in the race. The event has the blessing of the Ministry of Tourism and for many years now has been rated among one of the world's events in the "Year of African Tourism".

For more information contact:
The Chairman
International Camel Derby
P.O Box 47874, Nairobi
Tel: 254 2 241177, 727551/2/3
Fax: 254 2 575006
Email: makini@arcc.or.ke

KSPCA and the Shaggy Dog Show
The Kenya Society For The Protection and Care of Animals is the only animal welfare society caring for domestic animals in Kenya. It has been in existence for more than eighty years and during that time the Society has grown and now has two branches and four sub-stations which they hope to expand.

37 years ago they held their first Shaggy Dog Show which has since then become more and more popular with people from all over Kenya coming to enjoy the day, either with their dogs or without. Every dog must have valid Rabies Parvo and Distemper Certificates in order to enter the competition.
Interested parties are invited all over the world to look for sponsorship and participate in the race. The event has the blessing of the Ministry of Tourism and for many years now has been rated among one of the world's events in the "Year of African Tourism".
The show attracts different classes such as :-

Attractive prizes are awarded to the owners whose Dogs emerge the winners.

Entertainment is available for the whole family and also for those who have no Dogs. There are Lucky Dips, Raffles, Free Donkey & Cart Rides, Face Painting, Games and much more for everyone to enjoy. Under Other Useful Facts, create a sub topic:
 
 
Music and Food Festivals
The Ministry of Education organizes drama and music festivals for primary and secondary schools where traditional dances and folk music is performed. This event is held at different levels usually during the second term of the academic year which falls between the months of May to July each year. The general public is invited. Other educational institutions like colleges and Universities are also involved.

The Ministry of Home Affairs and National Heritage, through its Department of Culture organizes a Cultural Music Festival annually; whose patron is the Head of State. This is specifically for non-educational institutions like Government departments, parastatals, and local clubs. The event is held at each province every October and at national level for a week at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre usually in August. During the event, traditional dances, acrobatics, folk music, etc., are performed.

Winners make their presentations at State House to the President and become Kenya's cultural choir the whole of the year where they are invited during national holidays and functions to entertain the public.

During this cultural festival, traditional foods from different ethnic groups are exhibited. Besides these traditional food exhibitions, internationally recognized cuisine and food specialties are organized for food exhibitions by interested hotels whose restaurants specialize in that cuisine, and cosponsored by key industry players; both private and public. These do not have regular timings but are determined by the hotels.

The Kenya Utalii College organizes annually in July a one-day food festival usually called the "Uhondo Africa". Different cuisines from different parts of the world are displayed together with Kenya's own dishes from different cultural backgrounds. Visitors are welcome to have a true taste of these.
 
The Dugong Festival and the Lamu Donkey Racing
Lamu is a wonderful old stone town with a distinctive Arab traditional architecture, curved doors, narrow streets, absence of vehicles, many mosques, fishermen, women dressed in black and wearing the bui bui and is rich in the Muslim culture. The town is in the North Coast region of Kenya and takes tourism seriously as this is the major source of income. Residents of this historical town hold a festival in May each year under the name of the "Lamu Dugong festival" and incorporate the famous donkey race. Donkeys are the sole means of transport in Lamu and are found in large numbers! The festival lasts a week and brings together people from all sectors including visiting tourists. The major theme of the festival is to create awareness to the residents and the public about the need to conserve the Dugong found near the islands (mythologically known as the mermaid), which is an endangered species.

Other activities during this festival include dhow racing, water sports, traditional dances, food exhibitions fashion and architectural displays.

The Nairobi and Mombasa Carnivals
Each year, Kenya's major cities hold entertainment and music extravaganzas to celebrate the cities' birth. Members of the public are usually invited and visiting tourists too. The first one in October 1998 was incorporated with the celebration of 50 years of the Mombasa and Coast Tourism Association and over 7000 tourists joined. Entertainment, food, art and culture displays, fashion shows and other outdoor sports form a grater part of the fun filled day.

This years Mombasa Carnival will be held on 4th November 2000. The carnivals parade will start from Moi Avenue and from Fort Jesus a place that reminds one of the precious history of Kenya. It will proceed up to Mama Ngina Drive where there will be a lot of activities.

Contact the organizers on :-
Tel. 254 11 227052
Fax. 254 11 316501
Email. carnival@africaonline.co.ke
url: www.africaonline.co.ke/carnival

Art Festivals
The National Museums of Kenya hold annually an Art festival in Nairobi called the East African Art Festival. The event takes three days only and draws exhibitors from the whole of the East African region. Exhibitors display their art works, paintings, traditional artifacts and architectural designs among others. Related technical institutions and colleges around the country hold other art exhibitions, and your local safari operator can give the dates.

Festivals Around National Holidays
Just before Kenya's holidays several events take place to commemorate these important national days which includes screening of films, performing plays and skits, releasing songs, etc, all about these events. This is organized by the National Museums of Kenya in conjunction with the Department of Culture, Ministry of Home Affairs.