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.
On now
Exhibition
The Great Repair
A travelling exhibition on repair, reworked with Nairobi platform munyu as 'The Great Repair: umunyu', with a public programme of talks, workshops and screenings.
Exhibition
Fragments of Memory: photographs from the Mo Amin collection
Archive photographs from the Mo Amin collection, co-curated by Michael Kainga and Joel Lukhovi.
Exhibition
The Singer & the Red Rose — Muyaka Shitanda
More than 20 new works in painting, photography and sculpture by Muyaka Shitanda, curated by The Station.
Exhibition
Free
Sanaa Gateja: They Too Are the Earth
New work by veteran Ugandan artist Sanaa Gateja in paper beads, bark cloth, banana fibre and found roots.
Exhibition
Not All Who Wander Are Lost — Gavin Kendo
A solo exhibition by Gavin Kendo in the Creativity Gallery at the Nairobi National Museum.
Exhibition
Free
Spectrum Art Exhibition
A group show of six Ethiopian artists at Laphto Contemporary Art Gallery in Addis Ababa.
October 2026
Exhibition
Free
Art Auction East Africa — Preview Exhibition & Party
Preview exhibition of all 67 lots ahead of the Strauss & Co-run Art Auction East Africa on October 28.
Film
NBO Film Festival 2026
Eleven days of African and diaspora cinema across four Nairobi venues, with an Alain Gomis retrospective.
Film
AAIFF Africa 2026 (All African Independent Film Festival)
Three days of independent African films, awards and filmmaker conversations in Kigali.
Film
Ben'Imana at NBO Film Festival
Rwanda's Cannes Caméra d'Or winner, the country's first Oscar entry, screens at Prestige Cinemas during the NBO Film Festival.
Festival
Kisima Festival 2026: The Love Edition
Four-day wellbeing, music and culture gathering at Beneath the Baobabs, Kilifi.
Exhibition
21st Affordable Art Show
Kenya Museum Society's annual juried show: 750+ works by 400+ artists; a share of every sale supports its projects at the National Museums of Kenya.
Film
Moonlight Movie Night: Avatar: Fire and Ash
Outdoor big-screen screening of Avatar: Fire and Ash at Mundi Center's Piazza on 16 and 17 October.
Music
Free
Usiku wa Hip-Hop (1st edition)
Free afternoon-to-night celebration of Tanzanian hip-hop with rap cyphers, dance battles, DJ sets and a live act.
Music
Mutoriah and The Orchestra 2026
Mutoriah performs his music with a full orchestra and guest artists.
Film
Call Me Queen: Kenyan premiere
Red-carpet premiere of the Kenya-shot drama Call Me Queen at the NBO Film Festival, with a cast and crew Q&A.
Other
Urban Kids
A Sunday afternoon of juggling, circus tricks, face painting and games for children at The Piazza, Mundi Center, Kigali.
Music
One Night Only: Brunch Edition with Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo and Sol & The Gang perform on the Mashujaa Day holiday at Ulinzi Sports Complex.
Festival
Kilifi Creek Festival 2026 (2nd edition)
A nine-day film and culture festival along Kilifi Creek, screening works from over 50 countries.
Music
A Contemporary Evening with Ritadeviolinist
Violinist Rita performs with a live band, dancers and guest musicians at Mundi Center, Kigali.
Other
House of Queens: African Regal Realness
House of Queens returns with a special edition celebrating culture and community at Depot37, Mundi Center, Kigali, hosted by Kezi.
Music
Kikuyu Love Sessions: Slightly Scandalous Edition
The 10th Kikuyu Love Sessions, a vernacular-music day-into-night event, at Ngong Racecourse.
Music
The Kampala Jazz & Soul Benefit
Afrigo Band performs with the Pearl Symphony Orchestra at the UMA show grounds, Kampala.
Music
Fabricated in Nairobi
An overnight electronic music event at KODA Nairobi joining the sounds of Durban and Nairobi, with Dankie Boi.
Festival
44th Bagamoyo International Arts and Culture Festival
Tanzania's long-running coastal arts festival, with a pre-festival gala and 146 performing groups.
Other
Art Auction East Africa 2026
Strauss & Co's annual East Africa art auction, 67 lots of modern and contemporary work from nine countries.
Film
Amakula International Film Festival (19th edition)
The 19th Amakula International Film Festival is held at the Bayimba Centre on Lunkulu Island, Uganda, from 30 October to 1 November, with open-air cinema under the sunset.
Music
Isukuti Fest 3 – The Tour
First stop of the Isukuti Fest 3.0 tour, billed as “the ultimate Luhya reunion”.
Music
An Evening with Mad Ice & The Band (KLA Edition 2026)
Ugandan singer Mad Ice and his band play a seated evening at Zone 7, Mbuya, Kampala, with guests Mr Nice, Kenneth Mugabi and Jackie Chandiru.
Music
Atmosfera: Halloween Edition
Halloween night party at Mundi Center's Piazza in Kigali, 31 October into the early hours of 1 November.
November 2026
Theatre & dance
Kenya International Theatre Festival (KITFest) 2026
The Kenya International Theatre Festival returns to Nairobi in November with the theme 'Reimagining Theatre'.
Other
TUGO SZN Runway Show
Jipe Apparel stages a runway show at Wilson Airport, Nairobi, on 6 November.
Music
The Bar Symphony: Nairobi
An orchestral night of contemporary hits with cocktails and nightlife at Alloy Bar and Lounge.
Details come from the organisers' own pages and can change; please check with the organiser before you go. Tell us about an event →