Tanzania's 44th Bagamoyo arts festival runs 28–31 October; 146 groups have applied

The Bagamoyo Arts and Culture Institute (TaSUBa) will hold the 44th Bagamoyo International Arts and Culture Festival from 28 to 31 October 2026 at the institute's grounds and halls in Bagamoyo, on Tanzania's coast. The institute, formerly the Bagamoyo College of Arts, announced the dates on its Kiswahili-language festival page, Tamasha la 44.

Daily News, Tanzania's state-owned English-language daily, reported on 2 September 2026 that a pre-festival gala is scheduled for 27 October. Gabriel Kiiza, TaSUBa's acting principal, said 146 groups had applied to take part, 104 from Tanzania and 42 from other countries, as quoted by the paper.

The festival chairperson, Huruma Haule, said preparations were going well and that organisers expect more than 6,000 visitors to the festival grounds. She put the potential audience through television, radio and digital media at more than 900,000 people.

Stage performances will include traditional dances, acrobatics, and contemporary and traditional music, as well as drama, poetry and comedy. Beyond the stage, the programme lists traditional crafts exhibitions, displays by public and private institutions, film screenings, workshops and artistic training, and guided tours of Bagamoyo's historical and cultural heritage sites.

A market will let artisans and entrepreneurs sell beads, baskets, traditional clothing, handicrafts and decorative items. Coastal food and drinks will also be on sale.

Kiiza described the festival as a meeting point for artists, cultural stakeholders, business operators and visitors, meant to promote arts, culture and tourism. Ally Nchahaga, director of Vision Investment, urged companies to use the festival to promote their brands and services.

TaSUBa's page invites individual artists and groups from around the world to apply, and lists singers, musicians, comedians, painters, sculptors and other craft artists among those it wants. Applications are made through an online form at https://forms.gle/p59hzPwnUzMKQueU8. The page gives no closing date for applications. Neither TaSUBa's page nor the Daily News report gives admission prices.

The art forms named on the page are traditional and modern music, dance, drama, acrobatics, comedy, magic, poetry and exhibitions.

Contacts for the festival, as listed by TaSUBa: [email protected] for all festival matters; phone +255 762 544 613 or +255 766 264 581. The institute's address is Kaole Road, P.O. Box 32, Bagamoyo.