By the time the sun rises over Kalagala Falls and kisses the forest in soft gold, Nyege Nyege has already done its work. It has turned strangers into tribes, music into memory, and Uganda into an unforgettable feeling. Once someone dances by the Nile at 3am, eats a Rolex warm from the pan, hears ten languages swirl through the night air, and watches the river breathe mist into the dawn, Uganda stops being a destination. It becomes a story they carry home.

That is the spell Nyege Nyege casts — and this year, as the festival celebrated its 10th anniversary at its new home, Adrift Overland Camp & River Club above Kalagala Falls, the magic felt renewed. No rain, no bans, no chaos. Just four days of rhythm, reunion and reinvention.

A festival finds a home — again

Nyege Nyege has shifted locations over the years — Nile Discovery, Itanda, Jinja Golf Course, and now Kayunga. But at Kalagala Falls, something clicked. The river roared below, neon lights bounced off the water, and the forest wrapped the festival in a natural amphitheatre. For once, skies remained clear. No mud, no misery. Just music, sun, sweat, sandals, patra shorts and trademark festival freedom.

The move from Busoga to Buganda came with perks: thousands camped on-site, and the usually quiet village along the Nile turned into one of Uganda’s busiest tourism corridors. Tent dealers cashed in — rentals went for Shs240,000 single and Shs340,000 double, while even self-campers paid Shs120,000 for a few feet of ground.

The Nyege economy

Behind the glitter and basslines sits an economic engine that has quietly transformed communities for a decade. Homes turn into guest houses, backyards into campgrounds, kiosks into food courts and youth into vendors and guides. Ms Sandra Nanteza of Bystays calls it a “tourism revolution”—an ecosystem where grandmothers become Airbnb hosts and students become guest managers.

The numbers agree. A 2024 estimate by Resident Advisor put the festival’s economic contribution at more than $2m (Shs7b), most of it earned by local hotels, vendors and small businesses.

Walk the grounds at 2am and you feel that heartbeat: Rolex stands, fish grills, tie-dye sellers, anklet designers, frozen juice hustlers, and dozens of boda riders weaving through stages ferrying revellers. For Raft Uganda’s Dennis Ntege, the festival is not just entertainment; it’s demand, jobs and a boom for adventure tourism.

A cultural giant

Over 10 years, Nyege Nyege has become more than a party — it’s a cultural institution. Through its label, Nyege Nyege Tapes, it has exported electronic, experimental and underground Ugandan music to the world. From MC Yallah to Kampire, from Catu Diosis to Alpha Otim, the festival has produced touring artists who headline stages far beyond Uganda.

But as sponsorship grew and crowds diversified, programming also shifted. By 2019, Afrobeats and dancehall had started to dominate the main stage. This year, however, the festival returned to its roots: DJs, experimentation and “the otherness” of music.

Fik, Skrillex, Suna Ben and the Night the Branches Broke

Fik Fameica reminded everyone why live music still matters. His Friday night set was the defining moment of the festival. From the moment he stepped on stage, the crowd moved as one: singing every chorus, throwing hands in time, matching the rapper’s energy with devotion. For a full hour Fik repaid that love with hit after hit; his set felt less like performance and more like collective catharsis. He left the stage to a roar that made it clear he had stolen the night.

Saturday offered its own pinnacle. A northern dance troupe delivered a performance so electrifying it resembled the cinematic euphoria of a ritualized scene. Drums thundered, bodies moved in sync, and the crowd erupted in a sea of whistles and vuvuzelas. Later the headline international act, Skrillex, energized parts of the audience, but it was Uganda’s own Suuna Ben whose late-night set transformed ritual into rejoicing. Breaks of tree branches, waved like ceremonial batons, signalled a homecoming. In a festival crowded with global names, local DJs reclaimed the heartbeat.

Hits, misses and the road ahead

Nyege Nyege’s strengths this year were hard to miss. The 10th edition finally unfolded without the shadow of moral panic or political threats. For the first time in the festival’s history, the weather cooperated perfectly — no downpours, no mud, no logistical meltdowns. The local economy boomed, with vendors, accommodation owners, transporters and adventure operators recording some of their best earnings of the year. Musically, the festival returned to its experimental roots, reviving the originality that first made Nyege Nyege famous. And perhaps most encouraging was the visible support from the surrounding communities, who have increasingly embraced the festival as part of their local identity and livelihood.

But even with these wins, several challenges persist. Many Ugandans remain priced out by high ticket costs, creating a divide between the festival and a significant segment of its home audience. The groundbreaking work of Nyege Nyege Tapes — which has launched Ugandan underground artists onto global stages — is still barely recognized in mainstream local media. Transport logistics, especially night-time shuttles, left many festival-goers frustrated and stranded. And after moving four times in ten years, the festival is still searching for a permanent home — a place where deeper cultural storytelling, infrastructure, and community partnerships can fully mature.

The Bigger Picture

To tourism leaders like Dr Lilly Ajarova, Nyege Nyege is more than entertainment. It’s a catalytic engine — a gateway product that can turn festival-goers into long-stay tourists, and entire communities into micro-tourism enterprises. Uganda’s diplomats see it too, with Judyth Nsababera calling the festival “a living expression of Uganda’s creativity, diversity and global spirit.”

For regional business leaders like Simon Kaheru, the festival is a meeting point — a place where cross-border partnerships and creative economies can grow, as easily as dance-floor friendships.

A decade on, a country’s rhythm

Nyege Nyege has survived bans, moral crackdowns, torrential rain, logistical nightmares and political resistance. Yet each year, it emerges stronger — a festival that refuses to be defined by controversy, but instead defines itself through culture, community and creativity.

At 10 years, it is more than a music festival. It is a symbol of Uganda’s resilience, a driver of its tourism, a champion of its creative industries, and a reminder that joy — even in a complicated world — is still powerful.

Uganda does not market Nyege Nyege.

Nyege Nyege markets Uganda.

And as dawn breaks over the Nile, with the last beat echoing through the forest and dancers stumbling toward their tents, one truth remains: Uganda’s biggest cultural export is not just its music or its landscapes — it is the feeling Nyege Nyege leaves behind.

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