‘The friendliest festival on the planet’ is On the way prepare yourself

Sauti za Busara music festival, centred in Zanzibar’s historic Stone Town, features a dynamic variety of African music with more than four hundred musicians participating over five days. Every year during February the ancient walls of the Old Fort resonate as people come together in celebration. The festival is supplemented with fringe events in town and across the island including a carnival street parade.

From Wednesday through til Sunday, around eight groups perform each day. Big names rub shoulders with upcoming artists. There are thirty of the best groups of Zanzibar, Tanzania and East Africa, with another ten groups in 2011 representing Ethiopia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, La Réunion, Madagascar, Mauritius, Ghana, Mali and Senegal.

All music on the main stage is performed live. Shows start at 5pm, continuing virtually non-stop, with the final band taking to the stage around midnight. For local people, admission is free until 6:00pm, then around €1 (one euro), see Tickets and Prices. 5,000 attend each day, roughly being 80% people from the region and others from all over Africa, Asia, Europe and beyond.

Sauti za Busara is the annual music event in East Africa and widely known as ‘the friendliest festival on the planet’.