Are you looking to travel to Kenya for a cultural safari? Are you looking to experience cultural activities in Kenya as part of your safari? If yes, you have come to the right place.
This guide discusses cultural activities in Kenya and how tourists on a safari can join the activities for a more memorable experience.
All the cultural attractions mentioned in this guide are ideal for children and adults. So which are some of the best cultural events in Kenya?
Best Cultural Events In Kenya
The Turkana Cultural Festival is the best cultural event if your luxury escapes africa safari is in the Northern circuit.
Book your safari with Luxury Escape Tours for a luxury safari to Kenya and for a personalized itinerary for you and your family.
1. The Lake Turkana Cultural Festival
The Lake Turkana Cultural Festival is also known as Tobong’u Lore in the local language. This is an annual event that is held among communities that live within Lake Turkana, which is the largest desert lake in the world!
Lake Turkana is also home to the Central Islands, which is home to Africa’s largest population of crocodiles. The Island has more than 14,000 gigantic crocodiles. It is also home to a large number of mud turtles and Fish.
It must be noted that the Turkana Cultural Festival is one of the biggest cultural events in Kenya.
How Many Communities Attend the Event?
This cultural event is attended by 14 -16 communities that live near the lake. These communities include:
- El Molo
- Rendille,
- Samburu
- Turkana,
- Dassananch
- Gabra
- Borana
The Lake Turkana Cultural Festival is a 3-day event comprising traditional music, dances, art, competitions, and games. This cultural event is usually held in June, attracting high-profile celebrities and millionaires worldwide. Turkana should be one of the places to visit in Kenya if you want a unique cultural experience.
What to Expect When Attending Lake Turkana Cultural Festival
One of the main things to see and do during the festival is traditional dances.
Traditional Performances
If 16 communities attend the event, there will be 16 traditional cultural performances. These performances include unique songs, dances, hymns, and rituals.
Traditional Attire
Tourists attending the cultural event will witness some of the world’s most beautiful traditional attires. Fashion designers from world-recognized brands attend the event to get design ideas.
The type of attire to see will depend on the community. For example, the Borana community will wear a distinct headgear, Galena. The women will wear brightly colored gales, which are flat hats decorated with feathers and beads.
The Dassanach community will wear animal skin garments decorated with intricate jewelry, shells, and beadwork. Women from the Samburu community wear beaded necklaces, bracelets, and headdresses.
Arts and Crafts
This cultural event in Kenya is a good place to see and buy unique arts and crafts. The local communities showcase their crafts, including traditional artwork, beadwork, woven crafts, and wood carvings.
The wood carvings are made from locally sourced wood and can depict human figures, animals or have a cultural meaning.
The event will also showcase traditional musical instruments, such as flutes and lyres, made from animal skin, wood, or gourds.
Tradition Cuisine
The traditional cuisine found at the event forms part of Kenya’s cultural food. The event includes Kenyan food such as Ugali, the region’s staple food. The ugali can be made from cooked maize flour or millet.
Another food you will find in this cultural event is nyama choma, which is roasted meat marinated with traditional species.
You will also taste several fish stews made from local recipes, camel meat, and indigenous vegetables.
Competitions
The Turkana cultural festival has numerous traditional sports and competitions. Some of these competitions include camel racing, boat racing along the shores of Lake Turkana, and traditional wrestling.
Lastly, tourists on a safari in the region can take this opportunity to explore the natural beauty of Turkana County. This activity can form a great safari and beach holiday in Kenya.
2. Lamu Cultural Festival
Lamu is one of the hidden places to visit in Kenya. It is a UNESCO world heritage site because of its culture and unique architecture that blends Arabian and African designs.
The good thing about Lamu Island is that it does not have one festival but five festivals. However, the Lamu cultural festival is the biggest of them all.
The main festivals found in Lamu are:
- Lamu arts festival
- Lamu cultural festival
- Maulindi festival
- Lamu yoga festival
- Lamu food festival
Lamu Cultural Festival Dates
The Lamu cultural festival is usually held in November. It is a yearly event that lasts for three days. Tourists who want to enjoy the festival should plan to travel during November, specifically on the 24th when the festival begins.
Every year, the local government comes up with a festival theme. In 2022, UNESCO participated in the cultural festival under the theme “Ni Raha si Raha.”
So what should you expect from the Lamu Cultural Festival?
What to Expect From The Lamu Cultural Festival
The main aim of the Lamu cultural festival is to showcase the rich diversity of multiple cultures within the archipelago. The locals do this by engaging in various activities such as:
- Donkey racing
- Dhow racing
- Mashua racing
- Swimming
- Fishing competitions
- Beach soccer
- Cooking competitions
- Poetry competitions
- Music and dance competitions
The Lamu Cultural festival also includes a colourful street parade, where the participants wear traditional Swahili attire that includes tunics, flowing robes, kikoi wraps, and well-designed veils. The street parade includes music played from traditional instruments, decorated floats, and lively dances.
Tourists on a safari to the Lamu archipelago will have an opportunity to sample traditional cuisine. The cuisine includes local dishes such as biryani {spiced rice}, Pilau {Seasoned rice}, coconut-based dishes, fresh marinated seafood, and local drinks.
Other cultural events found in Lamu are
- The Maulid Festival: This Islamic event celebrates the birth of Prophet Muhammad. Visitors can participate in the event, including processions, religious poetry, cultural performances, and prayer. The Maulid festival is an annual festival held in June. The festival is a three-day festival.
- Lamu Yoga Festival: Lamu Yoga Festival is held between the 25th – 29th of October. The festival is held in Shela, Lamu Old Town, and Manda Island. The festival promotes wellness, yoga, meditation, and holistic practices.
The festival attracts yoga enthusiasts from around the world, who hold discussions on how to promote physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
- Lamu Food Festival: Lamu food festival was set up to showcase the food culture of the Lamu people. It is an annual event that takes place in April. During the event, restaurants and chefs cook Swahili dishes and seafood for visitors to eat and make merry.
Reach out to one of our local travel experts to plan a luxury safari to the Lamu archipelago.
3. Rusinga Cultural Festival
Rusinga cultural festival is an annual event held every Decemeber on Rusinga Island. The Island is located on the eastern part of Lake Victoria near the Winam Gulf. The Island is inhabited by the Suba people, who went to the Island from neighboring Uganda several hundred years ago.
The Rusinga Cultural Festival is a great opportunity to go on a hidden safari on an Island. It is a two-day cultural festival full of traditional music, food, artistry, sports, and literature.
This cultural festival was set up to protect the Suba culture, which is under pressure from bigger tribes such as the LUO. The Suba tribe has been listed as an endangered language by UNESCO.
What to Expect
One of the main things to do at the Rusinga Cultural Festival is to engage in Suba traditional dances. The Suba community has various dances, such as the Chinkirah dance. This is an energetic dance played by both men and women. The dance involves rhythmic movements and hand clapping while creating a circle.
Other forms of dance include the Oriny, which girls and women perform. The dance involves props such as calabashes and small gourds filled with either seeds or beans.
The main aim of the dance is to create melodic sounds from the props.
Another form of dance worth mentioning is the Chisaku dance. The Chisaku dance mimics day-to-day fishing activities. This is done by mimicking various motions, such as hauling fish, rowing boats, and casting nets.
Other things to do when you attend the Rusinga Island Cultural Festival are
- Enjoy Traditional Music: Tourists can enjoy various traditional music played using instruments such as small hand-held drums, the Orutu {a one-stringed fiddle}, shakers, rattles, and flutes. The music also includes vocal mastery and dances.
- Artistic Talents: Tourists at the Rusinga cultural festival can see and purchase various traditional artistic items such as skillfully woven beadworks, woodcarvings, pottery, and clay work. Suba artists also display their paintings and mural art
- Story Telling: Tourists on the Island can hear great stories about the Suba people. These oral traditions are told by oral historians known as the Griots. Griots are highly respected people who are custodians of the Suba tradition.
- Food: Tourists on a safari can also indulge in Suba’s culinary traditions. At the festival, you will be treated to various dishes cooked with local flavors only found on the Island. Some foods to expect include fish { Tilapia, Nile Perch, and catfish}, leafy greens such as the African nightshade, Amaranth leaves, matoke, and drinks such as busaa.
4. Mombasa Carnival
If your Kenya safari is during November, then you are in luck. You can attend one of Kenya’s greatest cultural activities: The Mombasa Carnival.
The Mombasa Carnival is a vibrant festival that celebrates the history and culture of Mombasa City. The carnivore lasts for several days, and it attracts both local and international tourists.
Apart from the carnival, tourists can also go to Mombasa because it has some of the best beaches in Kenya.
What to Expect at The Mombasa Carnival
The first experience you will feel is being surrounded by locals wearing traditional attires making merry in a street parade. The street parade snakes its way through the old ancient towns of Mombasa.
The parade is colorful, with energetic songs and dances song by local communities. The atmosphere created by the parade is lively, electrifying, and magical.
Other things to expect at the Mombasa Carnival are
- Cultural Performances: The performances include traditional dances such as the Giriama and Taarab. The performers use traditional drums that create energetic and rhythmic beats.
- Another aspect of the cultural performance is poetry ad spoken word. The Swahili used is impeccable and so pure that citizens from other parts of Kenya get lost in their meaning.
- Fashion Shows: The carnival highlights traditional attire and attire fused with modern fashion trends. You will see models walk the street showcasing vibrant fabrics, local and internation designs, and intricate beadwork.
- Acrobat and Circus Acts: The Mombasa Carnival features some of Kenya’s most elaborate and breathtaking acrobatic acts. The performances include traditional acrobatic shows infused with modern techniques.
- Food and Craft Fair: The carnival includes a craft fair that teaches tourists about local cuisine. Attendees can taste food cooked with local exotic spices found nowhere else in the country except Mombasa.
- The craft fair is a good opportunity to see and buy handmade crafts, artwork, and traditional artifacts.
- Sports and Games: Games held during the carnival include tug-of-war, beach soccer, sack races, and fishing.
5. Maasai Cultural Festival
The Maasai cultural festival will be held for the first time on August 7th – 8th {2023} in the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
The main aim of the Maasai cultural festival is to promote Kenya’s tourism industry and the cultural heritage of the Maasai people. The Maasai people live in the Masai mara national park, keeping livestock and protecting the land from degradation.
The Masai community is known worldwide, and this festival is a good opportunity for local and
international tourists to spend time with the Maasai people.
The Maasai cultural festival will include traditional dances, songs, and cuisine. There will also be sessions where the elders tell stories about their origin and way of life.
Conclusion
Kenya is a good place to travel for a cultural safari. The main cultural festivals in Kenya are the Lake Turkana Cultural Festival, Lamu Cultural Festival, and Rusinga Cultural Festival.
This year {2023}, the first Maasai cultural festival will be held in the Maasai mara national park. In addition, it is a good place to go, especially if you are in the country to see the great wildebeest migration.
In conclusion, to attend cultural activities in Kenya, contact our luxury travel agency for personalized trips full of culture, cuisine, and melodic music.
