Home / Festivals

The living guide to Africa's celebrations

Africa's festivals, kept alive by the people who live them.

Q: Can I plan a trip around a festival?

Yes. Each festival page shows its next date, how many days it runs, where it is held, and what happens, with an add-to-calendar option so you can plan around it.

Discover when they happen, what to expect, and the music, food and meaning behind them—then turn a celebration into a trip.

Build my festival trip Browse every festival

Community-powered guide

95 festivals documented

40 countries represented

Sep 2026 latest community update

Dates and practical details improve whenever travellers and communities share what they know.

🥁 Cultural & heritage festivals

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All kinds 🙏 Religious & spiritual 👑 Royal & traditional 🎭 Masquerade 🎶 Music & arts 🌾 Harvest & nature 🥁 Cultural & heritage

#1 Jan

Sudan

Nile festival

Celebration of river life with boat races, music, and crafts on the Nile.

📅 Jan ⏳ 1 day Needs a local's update

🏆 Community Choice 2026

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 1

#2 Dec

Kenya

Rusinga Cultural Festival

Annual celebration of the Abasuba people's culture

📅 Dec ⏳ 2 days Needs a local's update

🏆 #1 Festival in Kenya

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 1

Sao Tome and Principe

Tchiloli Festival

A masked theatre, music and dance tradition of São Tomé that re-enacts the medieval trial of Charlem...

📅 No single fixed date. Perf... ⏳ 1 day ✅ Visitors welcome Needs a local's update

🏆 Top 10 Cultural & heritage Festival

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

Eritrea

Eritrean National Festival (Festival Eritrea / Expo)

National event representing all nine recognised Eritrean nation groups: Tigrinya, Tigre, Saho, Afar,...

📅 Usually a seven to nine da... ⏳ 9 days 👀 Partly open Needs a local's update

🏆 Top 10 Cultural & heritage Festival

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

Tanzania

Mwaka Kogwa Festival

Mwaka Kogwa is the traditional Swahili New Year festival of Zanzibar.

📅 Held every July on a date... ⏳ 4 days ✅ Visitors welcome Needs a local's update

🏆 Top 10 Cultural & heritage Festival

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#6 Sep

Lesotho

Morija Arts & Cultural Festival

Lesotho's premier arts and heritage festival

📅 Sep ⏳ 5 days ✅ Visitors welcome Needs a local's update

🏆 Top 10 Cultural & heritage Festival

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#7 🥁

Uganda

Ekigangu Kya Busoga

A residential youth retreat run by the Busoga Kingdom in Eastern Uganda that teaches children and yo...

📅 Movable, held during the D... ⏳ 10 days 👀 Partly open Needs a local's update

🏆 Top 10 Cultural & heritage Festival

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

Kenya

Lamu Cultural Festival

Swahili culture celebration that focuses on preserving endangered maritime technologies, vernacular...

📅 Typically scheduled in lat... ⏳ 4 days ✅ Visitors welcome Needs a local's update

🏆 Top 10 Cultural & heritage Festival

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#9 🥁

Togo

Agbogbo-Za (Agbogboza)

The largest traditional festival of the Ewe people held each September to commemorate their ancestor...

📅 First Thursday of Septembe... ⏳ 3 days ✅ Visitors welcome Needs a local's update

🏆 Top 10 Cultural & heritage Festival

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#10 🥁 Apr

Guinea

Festival National des Arts et de la Culture

National Festival of Arts and Culture

📅 Apr ⏳ 5 days Needs a local's update

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#11 🥁 Sep

Chad

Gerewol Festival

Traditional Wodaabe cultural festival

📅 Sep ⏳ 7 days Needs a local's update

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#12 🥁 Dec

Niger

Festival de l'Aïr

Cultural festival in the Aïr Mountains

📅 Dec ⏳ 3 days Needs a local's update

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#13 🥁 Jan

Tanzania

Wanyambo Festival

Traditional cultural celebration

📅 Jan ⏳ 3 days Needs a local's update

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#14 🥁 Sep

Niger

Wodaabe Gerewol Festival

Traditional courtship ceremony and cultural festival

📅 Sep ⏳ 7 days Needs a local's update

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#15 🥁 Sep

Niger

Cure Salee

Festival of Nomads

📅 Sep ⏳ 3 days Needs a local's update

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#16 🥁 Oct

Seychelles

Creole Festival

Celebration of Seychellois Creole culture

📅 Oct ⏳ 7 days Needs a local's update

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#17 🥁 Nov

Seychelles

SUBIOS

Seychelles Festival of the Sea

📅 Nov ⏳ 3 days Needs a local's update

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#18 🥁 Mar

Madagascar

Alahamadi Be

Traditional Malagasy New Year

📅 Mar ⏳ 2 days Needs a local's update

🏆 Top 10 Festival in Madagascar

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#19 🥁 Feb

Mauritania

Festival des Villes Anciennes

Ancient Cities Festival

📅 Feb ⏳ 4 days Needs a local's update

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#20 🥁 Oct

Chad

Festival International de la Culture Tchadienne

International festival of Chadian culture

📅 Oct ⏳ 4 days Needs a local's update

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#21 🥁 Sep

Zimbabwe

Intwasa Arts Festival

Spring arts festival

📅 Sep ⏳ 7 days Needs a local's update

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#22 🥁 Oct

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe International Film Festival

Annual film festival

📅 Oct ⏳ 10 days Needs a local's update

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#23 🥁 Feb

Burkina Faso

FESPACO

Pan-African Film Festival

📅 Feb ⏳ 8 days Needs a local's update

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

#24 🥁 Oct

Burkina Faso

SIAO

International Arts and Crafts Fair

📅 Oct ⏳ 9 days Needs a local's update

🥁 Cultural & heritage ▲ 0

Kept current, not frozen. Members confirm dates and flag changes as festivals move year to year.

Reviewed, not scraped. Every addition and edit is checked before it goes live.

From the people who live them. Detail comes from the communities that celebrate.

Know a festival better than we do?

This guide is only as alive as the people keeping it current. If a celebration from your community is missing, or its details have moved on, help the continent find it, and get credited for it.

Add or improve a festival Free · Reviewed before publishing · You're credited

Frequently asked questions

What is Lughayangu Festivals?

A living guide to festivals across Africa: when each one happens, what to expect, and the music, food, dress and meaning behind it. Every festival is kept current by a community that includes the people who celebrate them.

How current is the information?

Festivals shift year to year, so members confirm dates, flag changes and add detail continuously, and every change is reviewed before it goes live. That's what keeps this more accurate than a static list.

Can I plan a trip around a festival?

Yes. Each festival page shows its next date, how long it runs, where it's held and what happens, with an add-to-calendar option so you can plan around it.

Are these the same as public holidays?

No. Festivals are cultural celebrations, kept separate from statutory public holidays. Many aren't days off, and many move each year. You can explore official holidays in our Holidays section.

Is it free?

Yes, browsing African festivals on Lughayangu is completely free, and contributing is open to any registered member.