Nyege Nyege Festival will return to Kalagala Falls from Nov. 19 to 22, 2026, with organisers planning an edition that will combine music with filmmaking, tourism, fashion, visual art and adventure.
The 11th edition will be held at Adrift, Kalagala Falls, for the second year in a row. More than 200 artists are expected to perform across seven stages.
The festival’s main theme this year will be a collaboration with Wakaliwood, Uganda’s independent film movement based in Wakaliga, Kampala.
Organisers are calling it “The Wakaliwood Edition.” Parts of the festival grounds will be turned into a live film set, where scenes for a new movie will be shot during the four-day event.
Artists, performers and festivalgoers will also have an opportunity to take part in the production.
Nyege Nyege co-founder Derek Debru said the collaboration was intended to bring together two independent Ugandan creative movements.
“After ten editions, we wanted to enter the next chapter by doing something that could only happen here. Nyege Nyege and Wakaliwood share a similar spirit: creating with what you have, building your own world and then finding ways of sharing that world far beyond Uganda,” Debru said.
“This year those two universes come together. The festival becomes part music festival, part movie set, part playground, with the Nile running through the middle of it all.”
Music will continue to make up the core of the festival, with performers from Uganda, East Africa and other parts of Africa joining international acts.
The programme will include electronic music, live bands, traditional music, club sounds and experimental performances.
The Dub & Reggae Stage will return, while separate takeovers will highlight music scenes from Kenya and Rwanda. Organisers said the first group of artists and the complete stage programme will be announced in the coming weeks.
Talent Africa Group chief executive Aly Allibhai said the festival would bring together several parts of Uganda’s creative and tourism sectors.
“We are excited to officially announce the return of Nyege Nyege Festival for its 11th edition. This year we are building an even broader festival experience, bringing together music, tourism, adventure, film, fashion and Uganda’s creative industries,” Allibhai said.
“Returning to Kalagala Falls gives us an extraordinary setting to welcome Uganda, East Africa and the world back to the banks of the Nile.”
The 2026 festival will also introduce changes to the venue, including improvements to entrances, parking, movement around the site and accommodation.
An expanded camping village will have capacity for about 1,000 people. Adrift River Club will also become part of the festival site for the first time.
Adventure activities on and around the Nile will be available to visitors, while a partnership with Explore Uganda, the national tourism brand of the Uganda Tourism Board, will provide tourism experiences and packages covering destinations and cultural and adventure activities around the country.
An AFCON-themed experience will also be included in the programme.
The SO UG Stage, powered by Uganda Waragi, will return with a focus on contemporary Ugandan music and popular culture.
King Saha, Sheila Gashumba, Etania – The Life of the Party, Linus, Abeeka Band and Jackie Chandiru are among the participants announced for the stage. Comedy, fashion, visual art and interactive activities will also feature.
Boiler Room will return as well, with its 2026 programme expected to connect Ugandan and other African artists with its international audience.
More details on the Boiler Room programme are expected as organisers release the wider festival lineup.
The festival will be preceded by the second African Electronic Music Conference, scheduled for Nov. 17 to 19.
The AEMC will bring together artists, collectives, labels, promoters and cultural organisations from Africa and its diaspora.
Its discussions will focus on touring and mobility, artist development, creative infrastructure, collaboration and the growth of Africa’s independent music ecosystem.
The conference was launched in 2025 alongside Nyege Nyege and is being developed as a year-round platform connecting artists, clubs, organisations and music scenes involved in electronic and alternative music across the continent.
Nyege Nyege was founded in Kampala in 2015 and has since grown into an international festival centred on music and culture from Uganda and across Africa.
Organisers are expected to release more information on the artist lineup, stages, tickets, camping, tourism packages and travel arrangements ahead of the November event.
