Annual Events
Kenya Calendar of Festivals and Events 2011
Kenya Events and Festivals in January - Kenya, KE, Africa
- New Year's Day - New Year is celebrated all over the country with fireworks and family get-togethers
Kenya Events and Festivals in February - Kenya, KE, Africa
- Whale Shark Diving - a month-long diving season for whale sharks near Diani, Malindi and Watamu
Kenya Events and Festivals in March - Kenya, KE, Africa
- Kijani Festival - this music fest features a varied repertoire, from jazz music to ballet fusion
Kenya Events and Festivals in April - Kenya, KE, Africa
- KCB Safari Rally - a chance to see a world-class motor sport event held in the Nairobi area. The course covers some 700 km / 435 miles
- Kenya Open Golf Championship - this annual golf tournament is played out each April in Nairobi
Kenya Events and Festivals in May - Kenya, KE, Africa
- Rhino Charge - this annual off-road motor race each May takes competitors deep into the African bush of Kenya, whilst also raising funds for the Rhino Ark Charitable Trust
- Dugong Festival - held on Lamu Island to raise awareness of the native Dugong dolphin, this annual event also includes an entertaining donkey race
Kenya Events and Festivals in June - Kenya, KE, Africa
- Lewa Marathon - this long-distance running event takes local and international competitors on a scenic route through the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
- Lamu Maulidi Festival - the Maulidi is celebrated by Muslims in the town of Lamu through processions and prayers. A donkey race and other sporting activities are also staged during the celebrations
- Kenya Fashion Week - an expo-style fashion extravaganza held at the Sarit Centre each June, in the Westlands area of Nairobi
- Tusker Safari Sevens - an international rugby tournament, with seven players on each side, held at the Impala Club on Ngong Road, withi Nairobi's suburb of Karen
- Kenya International Trade Exhibition - brings together local and international business communities. Thousands of products are showcased, ranging from consumer electrics to cosmetics.
Kenya Events and Festivals in July - Kenya, KE, Africa
- Sigana International Storytelling Festival - held in Nairobi. Professional storytellers come from all over the world each July to participate
Kenya Events and Festivals in August - Kenya, KE, Africa
- Malaral Camel Derby - a camel race that has become a popular tourist attraction. Held in Malaral, Northern Kenya, international participants arrive to compete against Kenya's champions. Other attractions include a cycle race and children's activities
- Kwani Literary Festival - a variety of word-related events, including readings and signings by African authors
- Lola Kenya Screen Film Festival - a film fest for children and young people, taking place in Nairobi each year. Films include those made for television, as well as music videos and video games
- Kenya Music Festival - staged at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi and lasting ten days in total, featuring mainly African music
Kenya Events and Festivals in September - Kenya, KE, Africa
- Concours d'Elegance - classic car and motorcycle festival held every September in Nairobi. Whilst vintage vehicles are the main attraction, there is also lots of sideshow entertainment
Kenya Events and Festivals in October - Kenya, KE, Africa
- Kenya International Film Festival - annual international film fest hosting films and filmmakers from all over Africa. Events are held in a variety of venues in Nairobi. Festival activities include screenings and film premieres, competitions, workshops and debates, and music performances by local artists
- Kenya International Puppetry Festival - held in Nairobi each October, this event includes everything from workshops on puppet construction to an exhibition of masks and puppets, as well as theatre performances
Kenya Events and Festivals in November - Kenya, KE, Africa
- Shaggy Dog Show - animal lovers come from all over Kenya to take part in this fun day out for all the family. Organised by the KSPCA as a fund-raising event, the show is held in Nairobi
- Craft of Africa - held in the Sarit Centre in Nairobi, local craftwork is put on display
- Mombasa Carnival - two lively parades make up this carnival held in Moi Avenue each year in November, with plenty of brightly coloured costumes, music and dancing to entertain
Kenya Events and Festivals in December - Kenya, KE, Africa
- Kenya Music Week - held in Nairobi, visitors can take in an entertaining music programme that includes the best that the country's musicians can offer
More...:-
Wild Beast Migration July-November
Wildebeest migration takes place within Kenya and Tanzania and it is the greatest wildlife show on earth. There is no real beginning or end to a wildebeest’s journey. Its life is an endless pilgrimage, a constant search for food and water. The only beginning is the moment of birth. An estimated 400,000 wildebeests calves are born during a six weeks period early each year.
The number of wildebeest migrating is so high that upon miles of grassland is blackened by a mass of moving gnu. The wildebeest simply stretch from one horizon to the next of the conveniently flat and treeless Maasai Mara Savannah.
The wildebeest migration phenomenon is so huge that satellite miles away in space are able to capture the surge as a black moving mass of wildebeest on the planes of East Africa. This world famous migration is a circle of life which in simple terms means that there isn’t a start or an end.
The migrating herds spend two to three weeks in the Mara River and sometimes the Telek River. They trek westwards and cross the Mara River and sometimes the Telek River. Usually around this time heavy rains on the Mau escarpment fill the Mara River to the brim. This is a good time to watch the trunk looking crocodiles while they await the forthcoming feast. Due to this spectacular migration the Maasai Mara was declared the world’s seventh wonder.
Standard Chatered Nairobi Marathon
Standard Chartered Bank is the proud Title Sponsor of the 6th Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon, the largest athletic event held in Kenya since October 2003.
The Nairobi Marathon has become the signature annual sports event that brings together runners and supporters from all over the country as well as foreign participants to Nairobi, the beautiful capital city of Kenya and home of the greatest distance runners in the world.
THE 2011 SAFARICOM MARATHON
Entries will be accepted on a first come first served basis. If you have any queries please contact marathon@lewa.org
The Safaricom Lewa Marathon kicked off in 2000 with the aim of raising funds for conservation and community projects around Samburu, Isiolo, Laikipia and Meru areas.
The marathon attracts competitors from all over the world. Big groups of runners enter from the United States and United Kingdom. Runners from Australia, India, Europe and Canada also participate. Over 750 runners take part in the full and half marathon with an additional 100 children competing in the 5km fun run.
The Venue
The marathon is run on dirt roads, over two 21km loop for the half-marathon- through the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.
Over time, the Safaricom Marathon on the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy has gained reputation as one for being one of the ten toughest marathon events in the world. Run on a rough terrain and under harsh climatic conditions, it is an enticing experience which has continued to inspire distance runners and athletic fans alike.
The grueling marathon is also unique in that it is run within a wildlife conservancy located at an average altitude of 5,500 feet above sea level.
How to Get to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy by Road from Nairobi;
Take the Thika road out of Nairobi. Pass through Thika, Makuyu and Karatina. Turn right before Nyeri Town (about 16km before the town there are signs to Buffalo Springs and Samburu). Pass through Naro Moru, Nanyuki, and Timau. Approximately 10km further on is the Meru/Isiolo junction. Turn left at this junction heading towards Isiolo. Approx 3km further on at the bottom of the hill on the left hand side is the main entrance to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.
LAMU CULTURAL FESTIVAL
Lamu Old Town is a unique and rare historical living heritage with more than 700 years of continuous settlement. Since its inscription as a World Heritage Site in 2001, the annual Lamu Cultural Festival has been a celebration of the unique Swahili heritage of the Lamu Archipelago.
Organized by the Lamu Cultural promotion group, the three day festival (November) showcases traditional dances, displays of handicraft and competitions on water and land (Swahili poetry, donkey races, dhow races, henna painting), Swahili bridal ceremony and musical performances.
This year’s programme will feature a dramatized performance of the poem ‘Mnazi: Vuta N’Kuvute’ (The Coconut tree; “A Tug of War’) by the Kenyan poet, Abdilatif Abdalla, from his collection of poems ‘Sauti ya Dhiki’.
Musical performances from Morocco will highlight the universality of shared influences over time, and Praful Kumar and party from Mombasa will entertain the spectators till dawn with music from Bollywood.
Lamu Fort will host a series of exhibitions including; a poster exhibition on ‘Bombay Africans (1850 -1910)’, ‘Kanga Stories’ documenting the social meaning and use of the Kanga and ‘Collage Boxes’ an assemblage of boxes highlighting feminist art using collage by the Brazilian artist, Carolina Gama.
The other highlights of the Festival include the official opening of the restored ‘Dheule Mosque’ in Shela (a mid 18th century traditional Swahili exhibiting cultural, historical and architectural traits that are of invaluable significance to the people of the Lamu archipelago) as well as the launch of the pictorial book ‘Lamu, Kenya’s Enchanted Island’.
The 9th Lamu Cultural festival is a wonderful opportunity to experience the island’s unspoiled beaches, medieval ambience, architecturally magnificent Old Town, gracious population, and traditions of an enchanted island where history continues to live. Lamu welcomes you to experience a heritage and traditions that have earned the Island a place in the coveted UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
SAFARICOM SAFARI SEVENS READY FOR ACTION
Rugby fans from all over the globe are expected to flock to Kenya for the annual Safari Sevens rugby tournament.
This classic event is held at the RFUEA grounds, Nairobi from the in June with a total of sixteen teams taking part.
The Safari Sevens is now a world recognized tournament in the global sevens rugby series.
Emerging Boks of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Japan, hosts Kenya and Samoa are among the top seeds in the annual championship.
The team stamped it’s presence in the shorter version of the game by trouncing big names such as Australia, New Zealand and England in previous outings.
For rugby fans, the tusker safari sevens is a great chance to see Kenya’s top players in action against some of the best teams in the region and globally.
Safari Sevens has grown to become an important event in Kenya’s sporting calendar.
Rugby Fans should plan for thrilling rugby on the field and fantastic safari options before and after the Sevens. Like past events, there will be plenty of action and excitement on and off the pitch.
Rhino Charge
The Rhino Charge is an annual off road motorsport competition that has been held in Kenya since 1989. It is a unique and exciting competition that requires bravery and a high level of skill in off-road driving and navigation. The event is held to raise funds for a very noble cause – conservation of Kenya’s Aberdare Ecosystem.
The event normally takes place in May to June but preparations start as early as January. The registration normally takes place the previous year before the event.
The Maralal International Camel Derby
Think: a single-humped animal that originated in East Africa, later spreading to Arabia, that is able to survive long periods without water, and able to withstand changes in body temperature that most other mammals would die from; this is the dromedary camel, and intriguing creature of the desert first domesticated 3,500 years ago and used since as an important pack animal. The Maralal International Camel Derby brings hundreds of beasts and their owners together in the desert near Maralal.
The Maralal International Camel Derby is both a serious sport and a wonderful spectacle: with entrants from Australia, America, New Zealand, Canada, England, France, Spain, Japan, South Africa and around the world, it is a fusion of colors, cultures and marvelous animals: all competing in the desert for the honors of having the top camel in the world. Hosted at the Yare Camel Club and Camp, 3 kilometers south of the township of Maralal.
The The Maralal International Camel Derby tests the speed and strength of the camels, and the handling abilities of their owners or jockeys.
In addition, cycling races, donkey rides, local dancing displays and stalls where curios and handicrafts, among other things, are available. The theme of The The Maralal International Camel Derby is “Hit ‘em up, move ‘em out, raw hide” promising much exciting camel racing in the desert. The competition, raging since 1990, pits the best international jockeys and their one-humped friends against the reigning Kenyan champions. The competition provides a useful way to promote awareness of increasing desertification: the rapid spread of deserts inland, eroding arable lands, occurring as a result of increasing industrial pollution and climate change. Two events take place over a number of days, making The Maralal International Camel Derby, a great festive few days of superb spectacle. Join in the fun by hiring a camel and a handler for the day, and enter the amateur races over 10 kilometers for a fun ride through the desert. The elite race is 42 kilometers, passing through the Maralal township and semi-desert environments. Enter the The Maralal International Camel Derby to discover just how versatile these creatures of the desert are. Finely tuned to withstand the most arid of conditions, camels will amaze you at how far they can go; their bodies have adapted to desert conditions, making them the ultimate vessels that glide effortlessly through the desert.
KCB Safari Rally
The worlds toughest rally is here and tougher than ever. Over 50 drivers are in Kenya for the KCB Safari Rally, a three day event that is part of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) African Rally Championship.
The Safari Rally is one of the world’s toughest and oldest rallies, dating back to 1953. The rally is usually flagged off at the prestigious Kenyatta International Conference Centre (K.I.C.C), which has been the traditional start and finishing point for the rally over the years. The rally is slated for April to may.
The element of pure challenge makes the Safari Rally one of the best and most thrilling events in the Kenyan rally calendar. The dusty busy roads, wildlife and breathtaking landscapes all add up to a course unlike any other in the world.
Rally enthusiasts in Nairobi will be treated to a special spectator stage at Uhuru Park, a must see for rally funs and visitors in the city.
