Festivals and cultural events Malawi

Get ready to groove and move to the rhythm of today's hottest DJs. This festival, which celebrates Malawi's richness, diversity, dynamism and heritage, is one of the most popular in the country. It combines music, dance, poetry, sport and crafts to the delight of thousands of people from all over the world. Revelers from the continent and abroad gather on the shores of Lake Malawi to enjoy three days of music in a relaxed environment bathed in positive vibes.

The small university town of Zomba, nestled at the foot of the eponymous plateau, celebrates the best of the region's culture once a year on Labor Day with live music, visual arts, exhibitions, fashion, theater, poetry and dance. Founded in 2020, the Zomba City Festival aims to be inclusive, open to all ages and held at several venues across the city. You can also practice yoga, attend book readings, film screenings or sing along to wild karaoke.

This family-friendly festival celebrates the richness and diversity of world music. Traditional music from Malawi and the rest of the world transcends borders and unites cultures in a universal intercultural dialogue. In this mosaic of sounds, we enjoy listening to folk, world music, fusion and jazz artists. Previous editions have focused on "Freedom of Expression" (2024) and "Preserving Africa" (2023). An unforgettable experience for fans of ethnic and folk music.

This festival, created in 2014, is the only cultural event held on the enchanting Likoma Island in the north of the country. Interrupted for several years, the 2024 edition and promises festival-goers a unique experience. This year, the island's arts, culture and culinary heritage will be showcased through concerts, DJ sets, giant barbecues and traditional dances. The famous musical cruises on Lake Malawi allow revellers to discover this wonderful region while dancing on the deck of the boat.

A refugee camp may seem an unlikely place to host a festival. That's the original idea of Congolese writer, hip-hop artist and slammer Trésor Nzengu Mpauni. Forced to flee the DRC, Trésor lived in the Dzaleka camp, home to 50,000 refugees of 15 nationalities. The Tumaini Festival promotes the social, economic and cultural inclusion of refugees through arts and culture. Gospel, reggae, theater, poetry, fashion shows, crafts, pan-African cuisine, the Dzaleka camp becomes a showcase for resilience, talent and hope.

For the past fifteen years, the Blantyre Arts Festival has showcased an eclectic mix of Malawian arts, featuring music, photography, painting and fashion. This multi-disciplinary festival also organizes workshops and exhibitions with rural artists and schoolchildren from a wide variety of backgrounds. Through these interactive artistic events, the organizers aim to show that culture can contribute to the socio-economic empowerment of artists through their work.