Traditional dances, cultural attire, exciting exhibitions of local crafts and local music all come together in the form of a grand cultural celebration event each year in Tanzania – The Serengeti Cultural Festival!
And this year was no different. The 2019 festival took off with a bang in the Tanzanian town of Mugumu and celebrations lasted from 17 to 19 July. The Serengeti Cultural Festival gives tourists a chance to experience the local East African traditions, culture and art!
History of The Serengeti Cultural Festival
The Serengeti Cultural Festival first took place in the year 2012 as an effort to bring tourists to the town of Mugumu, where the Festival has taken place every year since. The purpose of the Festival is to allow tourists to experience authentic African culture truly. Mugumu is roughly 2 hours from the Serengeti National Park, making the festival accessible to the tourists that are visiting in and around the National Park.
What to Expect
With each year that passes the Festival is growing in terms of preparation, creativity. The Festival is generally open-air festival, and the crowds and the lineup get bigger and better. A diverse range of people from various tribes across Tanzania participates in this festival. Each of these tribes performs their traditional cultural dances in their native garb, giving the audience a taste of their traditions.
Traditional African Dance, Image Source: Tanzania.Go.Tz
Apart from traditional entertainment, the festival ha lots of fun entertainment and food on offer! Purchase local crafts and clothing, curios, paintings and other creative goodies. Pop in at the exhibitions onsite and get a taste of what Tanzania has to offer. And what is a festival without fine fine food? Take your tastebuds on a journey and indulge in local Tanzanian cuisine, savoury, sweet.
Souvenirs at the Serengeti Cultural Festival, Image Source: add link Text
You can also expect to enjoy live African music using unique and exotic African musical instruments that you’ve probably never seen before! Not only this but you can also enjoy camel rides and watching live traditional games similar to wrestling.
Don’t forget to get interesting souvenirs from the exhibitions and stalls!
Stalls at the Serengeti Cultural Festival, Image Source: Youtube.Com
The purpose of national events like this one is for Tanzania Tourism to grow and to attract more visitors each year. And this festival has proven to be successful in catching the attention of many foreigners who visit the area. The exhibitions and stalls also help support the local community and tribes.
