More than 20,000 visitors are expected in Lamu Town for the 2025 Lamu Cultural Festival, scheduled to run from Thursday, November 20, to Saturday, November 22. The event, now in its 23rd edition, remains one of the region’s largest cultural showcases.
Lamu County Governor Issa Timamy said the county is fully prepared to host the influx of guests.
“We are all set to host the 23rd edition of the Lamu Cultural festival from the 20th to the 22nd of November in Lamu Town. We welcome you all to come experience the best of Swahili culture and hospitality. This year we project to host between 20,000 to 30,000 visitors in Lamu, during this year’s Lamu Cultural festival,” he said.
The governor outlined a packed programme featuring traditional activities and community participation.
“We’ll showcase a lot of activities, including our famous donkey race, dhow races, which will be in three categories, we’ll also have fishing competitions, beach football, local performing acts, a street bazaar showcasing our local cuisine, and there will be something for everyone. We’ll kick off our activities with a school parade, the whole purpose of engaging school children is to bring them awareness of the culture and to make sure that we sustain this culture.”
He added that the festivities will conclude with a major concert.
“Our activities will culminate in a music festival on Saturday evening featuring top talents from around the county and the region in a celebration of musical talent. We want to thank the Kenya Tourism Board for once again supporting us, to make all this possible.”
The festival’s growing popularity reinforces Lamu’s emerging identity as the “island of festivals,” following events such as the recently concluded Lamu Yoga Festival.
Kenya Tourism Board acting CEO Allan Njoroge highlighted the strategic importance of such events to the national tourism agenda.
“For us as at Kenya Tourism Board, we have identified festivals as one of the means by which we will grow our tourism arrivals from the current 2.4 million to 5.5 million over the next couple of years. The Lamu Cultural Festival, being the biggest cultural showcase that we have here in Kenya, attracting over 20,000 visitors is a very important event, through which we are able to showcase what Kenya has to offer to both our domestic and international audiences.”
He added that Lamu’s increasing festival portfolio strengthens its brand and boosts local livelihoods.
“More importantly, this festival, and other festivals that have been or are held in Lamu have made the town attain a very enviable branding position as the island of festivals. As you know we just had the Lamu Yoga Festival a few weeks ago, what this means is that through tourism the local economy is able to benefit. It becomes a driver for youth employment and also empowering and uplifting livelihoods.”
Governor Timamy echoed the festival’s economic value, noting its impact across multiple sectors.
“The Lamu Cultural Festival has a huge economic impact, as mentioned we project to host between 20,000 to 30,000 people. There are a lot of economic benefits accruing to the people of Lamu, from transport, boat operators, hotels and eateries. The county government for instance, offers grants to over forty women groups, for them to supplement our eateries by cooking traditional Swahili cuisine, during the festival to ensure all our visitors are catered for.”
He assured visitors that security measures are in place.
“Lamu is accessible by road and air, we are lucky to have three airlines servicing this route, and tarmac all the way to Lamu. Let me assure everyone that it is safe, we have made arrangements with our security agencies to ensure your safety on your way and during your stay in Lamu, so once again, welcome all.”
