Thrilling 31+ annual African celebrated festivals and their locations

In the meantime, hundreds of African celebrated festivals are held all over the continent that have gained international recognition, while others have yet to. However, Africa is continuously endeared to many visitors around the world because of its fascinating cultures, artworks, fashion, and people of diverse ethnicities, tribes, and languages.
This article will discuss the celebrated festivals that have drawn tens of thousands of guests from all around the world and briefly emphasize their locations and potential significance.

Afrikaburn Festival

This is an African celebrated festival with thrilling sequences. It is an annual event that takes place in the South African desert. It is mainly to showcase Africa’s innovativeness and resilience.

Timkat Festival

Timkat is a January Ethiopian Orthodox Christian holiday celebrating Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River. It consists of colourful processions, prayers, and reenactments, culminating in a re-blessing of the waters.

Festival au Désert

This cultural event is held in January every year and takes place in the deserts of Mali. It celebrates the Tuareg’s customs through song, dancing, and camel competitions. It promotes harmony and comprehension among the various Saharan communities

Lake of Stars Festival

This music festival, which is located on the beaches of Lake Malawi, features amazing scenery, community-oriented events, and the promotion of both national and international performers. It happens in September of every year.

Cape Town International Jazz Festival

The Table Mountains of South Africa play host to this well-known Jazz festival. Usually in the month of March, every year, Jazz lovers and performers around the world gather to enjoy an exchange of skills and cultural ideas

Felabration

The West African nation of Nigeria is home to the Felabration festival, which is held in the month of October annually in Lagos to celebrate the legacy of the legendary Afro-Jazz musician Fela Anikulapo Kuti.

FESPACO

Burkina Faso is the place to be in February of every year to enjoy the sounds and scenery of one of the largest film festivals in Africa. This highly African celebrated festival encourages cultural discussion and exchange between African filmmakers. It is typically held in February of every year.

Ouidah Voodoo Festival

This vibrant spiritual festival, which takes place in January, celebrates the ancient Vodun religion in Ouidah, Benin Republic, through lively ceremonies, dances, and rituals.

Marrakech International Film Festival

This event showcases international cinema and brings together actors, directors, and moviegoers. It takes place in November in the charming Moroccan city of Marrakech

Festival of Bushfires

This African celebrated festival, which takes place in the stunning Malkerns Valley of Swaziland, mixes music, art, and activism to encourage positive social change in Africa. It is currently known as the MTN bushfire. and it is usually held in May, each year.

Sauti za Busara

It is an African music festival; ‘Sauti za Busara’ means Sounds of Wisdom in Swahili. It is held in Zanzibar, Tanzania, every February and promotes the richness of African music via spectacular performances, workshops, and cultural exchanges.

Nyege, Nyege Festival

This innovative September event happens along the Nile River in Uganda. It is a blend of electronic music, the arts, and culture.

Festival Sur le Niger

This riverfront festival in Ségou, held in February, celebrates the culture of the country of Mali through music, dancing, and art, uniting communities along the Niger River.

Lake Turkana Festival

This festival in Northern Kenya, held in April, exhibits the rich cultural history of 14 ethnic groupings living around Lake Turkana.

The Calabar Carnival

The Calabar Carnival is held annually in the town of Calabar, in Cross River state South-South zone of Nigeria, West Africa. Every December, the carnival showcases, the culture, creativity, dance and diverse culture of the people and her land.

Festival des Arts Nègres

Although not celebrated often, perhaps a few years apart in Senegal, it is named as the foremost celebration of black arts through exhibitions, performances, and discussions, fostering appreciation for African creativity.

Festival Timitar

This July festival in Agadir, in the country of Morocco, celebrates Amazigh (Berber) and international music, providing a forum for cultural exchange and unity.

Asa Baako – One Dance African Celebrated Festival

This festival, held annually in March on the sands of Busua Beach in Ghana, formally known as Gold Coast, celebrates music, arts, and culture by bringing together local and international artists for a dynamic blend of dance, music, workshops, and beachside festivities.

Harare International Festival of the Arts

Senegal’s HIFA is a multifaceted African celebrated festival of arts that takes place in May and brings together artists and audiences for a week of music, theatre, dance, and visual arts.

Kigali Up Music Festival

This music festival in Kigali, held in September annually, showcases a wide lineup of local and international musicians, supporting Rwanda’s (the country with a thousand hills) expanding music scene

Festival de Jazz de Saint-Louis

This festival in Saint-Louis, which takes place in May, brings together jazz music followers and musicians for a week of dynamic performances and cultural interchange in Senegal

Festival International de Carthage

This event in Tunis, held every July, presents a wide spectrum of creative performances, from music to theatre, in the historic Carthage ruins in Tunisia.

Festival du Théâtre de Rue

This Dakar-based event, which takes place in November, celebrates street theatre by displaying unique acts in diverse urban areas in Senegal

Festival of the Sahara

This festival in Douz, Tunisia, held in December, commemorates nomadic traditions using music, dancing, and desert sports, providing a unique cultural experience.

Festival des Musiques Urbaines d’Anoumabo

This is Ivory Coast’s urban music festival, usually in December. It showcases contemporary African music genres, promoting local talent

Asa Baako – One Dance Festival

This festival, held annually in March on the sands of Busua Beach in Ghana, formally known as Gold Coast, celebrates music, arts, and culture by bringing together local and international artists for a dynamic blend of dance, music, workshops, and beachside festivities.

Festival Jazz à Ouaga

This Ouagadougou jazz festival, held in April of every year, celebrates jazz music by bringing together local and international musicians for captivating performances and cultural exchange in Burkina Faso.

Lesotho Winter Festival

When it is snowing in Lesotho, it is time to celebrate the Lesotho music and culture adventure in the midst of breathtaking mountainous surroundings.

Bayimba International Festival of the Arts

This festival, held in August in Kampala, Uganda, annually, brings together artists from diverse disciplines to display their work and foster cultural exchange.

Festival of Pan-African Dance

This is an African celebrated festival of dance. This Dakar-based event brings together dancers and choreographers from throughout Africa and Senegal to celebrate and exchange ideas on dance every two years.

Lagos Theatre Festival

The Nigerian city of Lagos celebrates theatre by hosting a variety of plays, workshops, and discussions to support the continent of Africa’s theatre scene. It is usually held in February.

Fes Festival of World Sacred Music

This yearly event in Fes, Morocco, usually in May or June, promotes peace and understanding through music by showcasing spiritual music traditions from throughout the world.