Tanzanian Festivities
- Sauti za busara
- Kilimanjaro marathon
- Kilman adventure challenge
- Dar-es-Salaam charity goat race
- Mzalendo halisi music festival
- Zanzibar international film festival
- Mwaka Kogwa fesitival
- Jahazi Literary – Jazz Festival
- Bagamoyo Arts Festival
- Auto Fest Tanzania
- Visa to Dance
- Swahili Fashion Week
SAUTI ZA BUSARA
The Sauti za Busara (Sounds of Wisdom) music festival is an international celebration of East African music at Zanzibar’s Old Fort in Stone Town. Around 40 acts perform traditional and modern music, both acoustic and electric.
Dates: 14-17th Feb 2013
Where: Stone Town
Opening hours: 17.00 to 1.00 a.m.
KILIMANJARO MARATHON
Runners are treated to close-up views of Africa’s highest mountain at Tanzania’s annual Kilimanjaro Marathon. Marathon, half-marathon and fun run races begin and end in Moshi and there are more than 3000 entrants, from social runners to top-class African athletes.
The local population turns out in force to offer encouragement, both vocal and musical, en route. The heat and a hilly course can take their toll, but ice-cold oranges, water and other refreshments are provided every four kilometers.
Dates: February (annual)
Where: Moshi/ Kilimanjaro
Opening hours: Marathon 6.30 a.m., Half marathon- 6.45 a.m-7.00 a.m.
Costs: Marathon and half-marathon US$60; East African citizens Tsh4000/Tsh3000; fun run US$2/Tsh2000
For more information please visit: www.kilimanjaromarathon.com
KILMAN ADVENTURE CHALLENGE
The Kiliman Adventure Challenge is the ultimate fitness test. Hardy sportsmen complete three mammoth quests over 12 days: a hike to the 5895m summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, a 148km bike treks around the mountain and, lastly, the Kilimanjaro Marathon.
When: Feb 2013 (annual)
Where: Moshi/ Kilimanjaro
Time: To be confirmed
For more information please visit: www.kilimanjaro-man.com
DAR ES SALAAM CHARITY GOAT RACE
More than 3000 people attend the annual charity Goat Races at The Green in Dar es Salaam. The animals’ race around a specially designed track and the races raise around 50 million shillings a year for local schools and charities. Local families and sponsors come together for an afternoon of fun in the tented village surrounding the track. Face-painting and a fancy dress competition entertain children, while adults can have a flutter on their favorite bearded competitor.
Dates: May 2013 where: The Green zone Time: 12.00 – 17.30 p.m.
For more information please visit: www.goatraces.com
MZALENDO HALISI MUSIC FESTIVAL
Watch more than 100 performers of traditional Tanzanian music and dance at the Posta Grounds in Kijitonyama, Dar es Salaam during the Mzalendo Halisi Music Festival. A cultural market and art exhibitions during the day are followed by concerts every evening.
When: June 2013 (annul) where: Posta Grounds/ Dar es Salaam
Opening hours: to be confirmed
ZANZIBAR INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
The Zanzibar International Film Festival draws together countries for a celebration of film and music. The festival is set on the magnificent waterfront of Stone Town, where screenings, performances and DJ sets keep the party going through the night.
When: June-July 2013 where: Zanzibar Opening hours: To be confirmed
For more information please visit: www.ziff.or.tz
MWAKA KOGWA FESTIVAL
The Mwaka Kogwa Festival in the town of Makunduchi in south Zanzibar is the local “New Year” – celebrating the end of the old growing season and the beginning of a new one. The festival theme is purification. The locals want to start the New Year with a clean sheet, and the logical solution is for all the men in the village to fight with big banana stalks. It’s Zanzibar’s answer to paintballing. The banana stalks split on contact and after a while they disintegrate. At this point, the fiercely dueling combatants stop with big grins. The festival is designed, to get rid of all feuds, through the ritualized act of aggression. A straw house is also burnt and the worries of the past year are meant to burn away with it.
When: July 2013 where: Makunduchi Opening hours: to be confirmed
JAHAZI LITERARY & JAZZ FESIVAL
The Jahazi Literary & Jazz Festival encompasses a weekend packed with open-air jazz concerts, story telling, poetry readings and literary workshops all around Stone Town. A different thought-provoking topic every year engages festivalgoers in open debate.
When: August- Septemebr 2013 (annul) where: Stone town
Opening : hours: To be confirmed
BAGAMOYO ARTS FESTIVAL
The coastal city of Bagamoyo is known as the “arts capital of Tanzania”. Every year the Bagamoyo Arts Festival stages displays of traditional and modern music and dance alongside visual arts exhibitions and participatory workshops at TaSUBa, the local arts college. Visitors from many East African countries perform in the college’s 2000-seat amphitheater, a far cry from the mango tree underneath which staff and students performed at the first ever festival in 1982.
When: Septemeber 1013(annul) Where: taSUBA institute of arts and culture Bagamoyo Cost: Adults Tsh1000; children Tsh500; non East-Africa citizens Tsh3000 Opening hours: 12.00 a.m. – 6.00 p.m .
AUTOFEST TANZANIA
Car enthusiasts converge at the TTCL Grounds in Dar es Salaam for the Autofest Tanzania. Over 100 vehicles are on display, including high-performance vintage models, and the packed programme includes the daily Razz Matazz live stunt show. The Bumper II Bumper Auto Style zone allows the public to show their own “pimped” machines, and the Kidz Car Zone provides rides and entertainment for under 14s. A wealth of dealers offer cars, boats, motorcycles and accessories, alongside seminars on automotive issues including road safety.
When: October 2013 (annual) Where: TTCL Grounds Opening hours: to be confirmed
For more information please visit: www.autofest.co.tz
VISA TO DANCE, CONTEMPORARY DANCE FESTIVAL
The Visa 2 Dance festival presents performances by Tanzanian and international companies every year at the Diamond Jubilee Hall in Dar es Salaam. Four or five choreographies each evening concentrate on contemporary, street and modern work.
The festival is run by Aloyce Makonde, Vanessa Tamburi from Flusso Dance project and Rachel Kessi from Mawazo Contemporary Art Centre.
There are technical workshops and seminars for participants, and one where the public can join in. The festival takes a different theme every year.
When: October 2013 Where: Diamond Jubilee Hall
SWAHILI FASHION WEEK
Top designers meet at Dar Es Salaam’s National Museum during Swahili Fashion Week. The event acts as a showcase for local talent and a networking opportunity for the East African fashion industry, while the public can admire colorful African styles.
When: November 2013 Where: National museum
For more information please visit: www.swahilifashionweek.com
