On December 12, Nairobians will be treated to a fiesta to celebrate and showcase the best of what Nairobi has to offer in arts, sports, entertainment, food, and more.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja on Thursday announced that the first-ever Nairobi festival will be staged at the revamped Uhuru Park.
The recreational park has been closed for about 13 months and will be reopened on Jamhuri Day, December 12.
“The Nairobi Festival is celebrating the culture, and the vibe of Nairobi, our art, our food, our musicians, our acrobats even our athletes, and our sports people. It is going to be held here in Uhuru Park which will be opening also for that festival,” Sakaja said when he launched the Green Park terminus, which is adjacent to Uhuru Park.
The governor said the Nairobi Festival will run for some days and assured that security will be beefed up to ensure attendees enjoy themselves.
“It is going to be 4-5 days of extreme sherehe ambayo tutakuwa nayo hapa. Watu watakula sherehe, hata wale ambao wanasema nimepiga bar wajue kelele yao ya estates ndio hatutaki. Hapa you can scream as much as you want, play the music as you want because you’ll enjoy it,” he said.
The fiesta will kick off after Jamhuri Day celebrations and will showcase food, the arts, matatu art awards, as well as exhibitions on designated city streets.
“We will set aside some streets to display culture, food, creativity, have the nganya awards for the best done matatus, have rugby, football and basketball tournaments and many other activities,” Sakaja said.
“I urge all residents to attend the Nairobi Festival so that we can enjoy our culture and vibe.”
Sakaja’s vision is to have the annual Nairobi festival go global in a few years.
“Nairobi is a hotbed of talent and creativity and in the coming years I want the world to see it through this festival,” the governor said.
