The rooms in Kenya
Beneath the Baobabs
Beneath the Baobabs, the New Year festival formerly known as Kilifi New Year: three days and nights of house, Afro house and experimental music in a baobab grove on Kenya's Indian Ocean…
Lake Turkana Cultural Festival
Annual June festival in Loiyangalani on the south-eastern shore of Lake Turkana, the world's largest desert lake.
The Alchemist Bar
An open-air compound of bars, stages and food trucks off Parklands Road in Westlands, Nairobi, open since 31 December 2015. Live music, DJ sets, comedy, film and a monthly flea market.
Planning a trip
Hearing music in Kenya
Kilifi New Year suits dance-floor travellers: house, Afro house and experimental sets, with camping on site and the programme running from 14:00 to dawn. Lake Turkana is for travellers happy with hard overland travel, rewarded with Turkana, Samburu, Rendille and El Molo ceremonial music. The Alchemist Bar is the easy entry point, an open-air compound with a flea market on the first Sunday of each month.
Dates differ. Kilifi runs from 28 December to 1 January, though one description says three days, so confirm. Lake Turkana falls in late May or early June, with daytime temperatures hitting 40°C. The Alchemist Bar's directory listings show Tuesday to Sunday, 12:00 to midnight, closed Monday; no official website could be verified, so check its social channels for the programme.
For Kilifi, fly to Mombasa (MBA) and drive 90 minutes north along the coast road, with shuttles on opening day. For Lake Turkana, Aero Club of East Africa charters fly from Nairobi to Loiyangalani, or take a two-day 4WD convoy from Marsabit with a fixer, as there is no fuel between Marsabit and the lake. The Alchemist Bar is a 15-minute taxi from Nairobi's CBD: agree the fare in advance.
FAQ
Questions people ask
How do you get to the Lake Turkana Cultural Festival?
Aero Club of East Africa runs charter flights from Nairobi to Loiyangalani for festival attendees. The overland route is a two-day 4WD convoy from Marsabit on corrugated dirt. There is no fuel between Marsabit and the lake, so travel with a fixer.
When is Kilifi New Year?
It runs from 28 December to 1 January at the Beneath the Baobabs site north of Mombasa, with the programme from 14:00 to dawn. One description gives three days, so confirm. Fly to Mombasa, then drive 90 minutes north.
When is The Alchemist Bar in Nairobi open?
Directory listings show Tuesday to Sunday, 12:00 to midnight, closed Monday, though no official page could be confirmed, so check before a special trip. A flea market runs on the first Sunday of each month. Listed phone +254 777 779055.
Pulse
Electronic music in Kenya
Kenya is on Pulse, the Sonic Paths map and radio of African electronic music: electronic music in Nairobi (Nu Nairobi house, 18 artists and collectives), Kilifi (coastal house, 1 artist).
Its own sounds have their own pages, with where they come from, who carried them and sets to play: Nu Nairobi.
More across the continent: African electronic music on Pulse and every dated festival.