Arts & culture

Arts & culture in Nairobi and East Africa

Exhibitions, festivals, music, theatre and talks, checked by our culture desk, with dates, venues, prices and where to get tickets.

October 2026

Film

Thu 15 Oct – Sun, 25 Oct 2026 · Prestige Plaza, Nairobi · Single screenings KES 1,000-1,500; Golden Ticket KES 20,000; some events free

Eleven days of African and diaspora cinema across four Nairobi venues, with an Alain Gomis retrospective.

Film

Thu 15 Oct – Sat, 17 Oct 2026 · French Institute of Rwanda, Kigali · Paid at the entrance; price not published

Three days of independent African films, awards and filmmaker conversations in Kigali.

Film

Fri 16 Oct – Sat, 17 Oct 2026 · The Piazza, Mundi Center, Kigali · RWF 3,500-6,000

Outdoor big-screen screening of Avatar: Fire and Ash at Mundi Center's Piazza on 16 and 17 October.

Film

Sat, 17 Oct 2026 18:00 · Prestige Ngong Road, Nairobi · KES 2,500

Red-carpet premiere of the Kenya-shot drama Call Me Queen at the NBO Film Festival, with a cast and crew Q&A.

Details come from the organisers' own pages and can change; please check with the organiser before you go. Tell us about an event →