Top African Festivals and Celebrations

With over 3,000 ethnic groups and around 2,000 different languages, the African continent is the embodiment of cultural diversity, leading to numerous African celebrations and festivals throughout the year.

Let’s explore the best African cultural festivals and celebrations from different countries across the continent to give you an idea of the immersive and exotic experiences you can expect when you visit this magical place.

Mombasa Carnival – November, Kenya

Organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Kenya’s largest annual festival is a carnival of floats, costumes, music and dance that perfectly showcases the cultural diversity of the region.

Traditional and contemporary musicians perform and the street is lined with stalls serving all kinds of local delicacies, such as fresh coconut milk.

During these African festivities, participants often wear traditional kikuyi and kanga clothing, and the parade eventually reaches the beach at Fort Jesus for a boat race!

Festival of the Dhow Countries – July, Zanzibar

The Zanzibar International Film Festival or Dhow Countries Festival is a landmark event that has long been recognised as East Africa’s biggest cultural event.

The festival spans many beautiful and historic venues near Stone Town’s waterfront, with a village panorama that extends the festival into rural communities.

The festival blends the arts and cultures of many East African countries with the arts and cultures of India, Pakistan, the Gulf States, Iran and the Indian Ocean Islands.

While the film competition is the main event, it attracts a huge variety of cultural experiences from music, theatre and performing arts to workshops, seminars and conferences.

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National Arts Festival – June to July, Grahamstown, South Africa

Africa’s largest cultural event, this annual extravaganza sees the normally quiet streets of Grahamstown transformed into a hive of colourful activity that attracts local and international stars alike.

Every available room becomes a performance venue, and every park or sports field becomes a marketplace for over 600 separate performances, from drama to music to improvised comedy.

Hermanus Whale Festival – late September, South Africa

It’s a great festival for the whole family The real stars of this show are the migrating southern right whales, which are the main focus of this South African celebration.

Hermanus is recognised as the best land-based whale-watching destination in the world. Around 100,000 visitors each year flock to this beautiful coastal town to watch the whales.

You can enjoy some really delicious food, great music and a festive atmosphere! And don’t forget to greet others with these different ways of saying hello in South Africa.

Morocco’s Fez Festival

It is an international festival of sacred music featuring Moroccan song, Italian Renaissance music, Balinese dance and African Sufism.

The aim of the event is to highlight the nature of Islam as a civilisation, with the original idea being to promote dialogue between Western and North African scholars and writers. This annual festival first started in 1994 and lasts every year for 10 days in early June. 

Besides music, you can enjoy international cuisine and great art performances while enjoying some of the best places to visit in Morocco.