Kivu Fest, one of Rwanda's biggest music festivals held annually at Kivu Public Beach in Rubavu District, has been relocated to Kigali, a statement from Intore Entertainment, the brains behind the show, confirmed. According to the statement issued on Monday, June 24, Kivu Fest will take place on June 29-30, at Onomo Hotel, becoming the first of its kind to be held in Kigali. ALSO READ: Kivu Fest shifts to Karongi In a recent interview with The New Times, Bruce Intore, the festival organiser, announced plans to move the event to another venue, saying that it was in line with Kivu Fest's goal to explore other locations and move to Karongi district, which is also within the Kivu belt. The last Kivu Fest was the third and last edition held in Rubavu. We are exploring other locations in different districts within the Kivu belt and Karongi district is our next choice, said Intore. Surprisingly, Kivu Fest was this year moved to Kigali instead of usual venue in Rubavu, or Karongi which was said to be its next destination. According to Intore, the ongoing presidential campaigns and increased number of events in Rubavu town over the long weekend pushed him to move Kivu Fest to the Rwandan capital. Most of our partners are busy with the campaign and Gisenyi has a lot of events, so we felt the need to give everyone in Kigali the show they deserve, Intore said. ALSO READ: Photos: How Kivu Fest went down However, The New Times understands that the last edition of Kivu Fest made huge losses due to low turn up and strict nighttime restrictions in Rubavu, one of the main reasons why organisers moved it to other venues. The likes of DJ Toxxyk and DJ Marnaud, longtime Kivu Fest headliners, are also holding side events in Gisenyi over the same weekend, while the RPF's presidential rallies will stop in Karongi on 29 June. This, along with many other factors, is said to have caused one of Rwanda's biggest beach parties to move to Kigali, which doesn't have a beach to accommodate party goers. Kivu Fest remains arguably the biggest beach party in Rwanda and has attracted major artists and DJs from around the world, including the late Costa Titch from South Africa, US-based Kenyan DJ Fully Focus and Major Lazer's Walshy Fire among many others.
