KigaliUp is back

Preparations for the third edition of KigaliUp Music festival are in high gear with this year’s event slated for July 13 to 14.The annual festival which is becoming one of the most popular music festivals in Rwanda has lined up a multitude of artistes from all over the world.According to Nelson Gashagaza, one of the organisers, the KigaliUp team is working tooth and nail to ensure that the festival goes as planned.“The KigaliUp team has been working hard for the last month to bring the best in worlds of music and services to Rwanda. KigaliUp 2013 will be a village with performing artistes, crafts exposition, food vendors and more,”“Most importantly we have improved the sound system and the venue will be family friendly,” Gashagaza said of the festival which for the second time will be held outside Amahoro National Stadium.He added that KigaliUp 2013 will be only live while it will focus mainly on improving and empowering artistes through workshops and culture exchange.“I am happy also to announce that some headline artistes are already here and others are planned to fly in next week,” Gashagaza says.Stars expected to perform include HabibKoite and Bamada from Mali, MA IA from Kenya, Joey Blake from USA, TonyOsanah from Argentina, Canada-based Rwandan musician Nicole Musoni and Lion Story from Burundi.Also a line-up of local stars including Jay Polly, Gaby, Shanel, Makanyaga, Ikobe, SafaPapy John, Mani Martin, Dreamboys, Rafiki, Riderman and Liza Kamikazi will perform.Others include Impala, Babu, RasKayaga, Blessed Sisters, Nubian Gypsies, Patrick Nyamitali, Strong Voice and Sophie Nzayisenga among others.Apart from a variety of music ranging from Hip-hop, Afrobeat, Blues, Rumba, Funk and Reggae, this year’s festival will also boast of two live stages, a family zone, a beer garden, lots of food as well as arts and crafts stalls.The festival aims at enhancing the local music industry by training sound and stage technicians while helping emerging local artistes advance their careers; develop high quality recordings, stage plots and marketing materials. It is the first national music festival in Rwanda that promotes its own artistes, artisans and businesses. The first edition of KigaliUp festival on September 10, 2011, in Kimihurura Park, was a groundbreaking event that featured over 30 artistes from Rwanda, East Africa, Canada and France performing on two stages to a diverse audience of more than 2500 people.

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KigaliUp is back