Welcome to the City of Gold (formerly known as Texas). The circus is coming to town!
Zomba City Festival is a celebration of the culture, heritage and natural beauty of the one-time capital of Malawi. Expect 3 days full of activities at the city’s most vibrant locations; there will be something to enjoy for everyone.
The Concept
You buy 1 ticket for MWK 16,000 early bird (MWK 25,000 at the door) and you get FREE ACCESS the whole weekend at all VENUES that are part of Zomba City Festival 2023.
How does it work? You buy a ticket, book a hotel or camping space at Pakachere, Trinity & Treats or Sunbird KuChawe, travel to Zomba and enjoy all kinds of art at several places in town. You explore Zomba going from one venue to the other.
It starts on Friday afternoon around 4-5PM. After the opening there will be music, food & drinks at Pakachere and The Mixed. If you still have energy, you can go to Vogue and dance until the sun rises. Entrance with your festival wristband is free.
In the morning you either do a yoga class at Pakachere or listen to poetry & book readings at The Heritage Centre. Another option is to go up the mountain to go for a hike or stay in bed to save energy for the evening programme.
Saturday and Sunday afternoon there will be various programmes. You can go up Zomba Plateau for family fun or a hike or listen to live music. There will be food and drinks, and maybe some workshops. Towards the end of the afternoon you can enjoy performance arts while having a nice meal at Pakachere; around 5PM we plan to have theatre, followed by a film. If you rather have a more vivid vibe with young talent on stage, you can go to The Mixed where they have live music and food from 5PM.
For the night owls, Vogue will be open till late with a neon party on Saturday.
Sunday will have a full programme in the Botanic Gardens. You can get there with a guide from The Heritage Centre; Christopher can tell you a lot about the former capital’s history while you move from The Heritage Centre to the Botanic Gardens. At Zomba Nation Botanic Gardens there is Art in the Park, an open air art exhibition featuring many painters from Malawi, as well as live music, a fashion show with 4 amazing fashion designers showing their latest designs, market stalls, jumping castle and treasure hunt for children, food & drinks, and more!
The Mixed and Pakachere will be welcoming visitors with a nice programme in the early evening and Vogue might be open till late. Again, free entrance with your festival wristband!
Monday will be a more chilled vibe and the programme is yet to be determined. There will be books & poetry the Heritage again as well as yoga & breakfast at Pakachere.
So there is something for everyone; early risers, families with children, art lovers and party people. You get to know Zomba because you go from one place to the next. We will organise affordable and safe transport between the locations., stroll over the golf course to Pakachere or join The Heritage Centre’s historical walk to the Botanic Gardens on Sunday.
Please follow our socials for updates about day tickets and single access to just 1 venue.
Tickets 2023
The tickets for ZCF23 are for sale in Lilongwe at Four Seasons, Mbowe filling station and Kaza Kitchen; in Zomba at Pakachere and The Mixed; in Nkhata Bay at Butterfly Space; Blantyre at Kwa Haraba and Cape Maclear will be announced soon
Group tickets; if you come with 10 people, you pay for 9!
Prices: 16,000 early bird | 25,000 at the door
children under 12 years accompanied by an adult free entrance
Accommodation
In 2023, Pakachere will have camping, glamping and dorm beds again. Book early to secure a space. You can only book a camp place or dorm bed if you also buy a festival ticket. Packages are for sale now! Your booking is confirmed when you pay up front (non-refundable, 100% payment).
Stalls / Vendors 2023
MWK 50,000 all incl. with 2 festival tickets or 30,000 no frills and 1 festival ticket. Call Dereck on 088 666 77 55 to book your stall.
FAQ
We have a ‘survival guide 2023′, a page that might answer most of your questions (FAQ)
- Opening on Friday 28th April
- Poetry and book fair at The Heritage Centre every morning
- Historical Walk on Sunday
- Yoga & breakfast in the morning; theatre, film, karaoke, disco & camping and more at Pakachere
- Music at The Mixed and Vogue Africana
- Neon party at Vogue
- Art in the Park; an art exhibition, fashion show and treasure hunt at the Botanic Gardens on Sunday
- And much more!!!