Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania Hotels and City Guide

Dar Es Salaam - Going Out

Annual Events in Tanzania and Dar Es Salaam

February

African Fine Coffee Conference & Exhibition
The African Fine Coffee Conference & Exhibition is held annually in Arusha representing the coffee industry in eleven countries in East Africa. Importers, exporters, roasters and others in the coffee trade are attracted to this exhibition. 17-19 February 2011 at Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge, Arusha.

Sauti za Busara Swahili Music and Cultural Festival
Celebrating East African music, dance and theatre, this annual festival in Stone Town, Zanzibar, attracts artists from all over East Africa. Concerts are mostly held in the Old Fort next to Forodhani Garden and the House of Wonders. Music workshops are held in the Old Customs House. The festival runs for three days over the second weekend in February.

June

Karibu Travel and Trade Fair
The Karibu Travel and Trade Fair is held annually in Arusha. As its name implies, thousands of travel agents and tour operators gather from around the world to discuss tourism in East Africa. Lodge and camp managers, safari guides and tour operators explain what is on offer to international delegates. The first day is for the trade only, the public are invited on the second day, and travel writers and trade visitors attend on the last day.

The Tanzanian Government has given the KTTF a 20-hectare site in Kisongo, to build a permanent trade centre. The KTTF is now the second largest trade fair in Africa after the Indaba which is held in Durban, South Africa, each May. The Fair runs from 3-5 June 2011.

Dar Es Salaam Fashion Festival
This inaugural festival is a shopping event for retail fashion shops to discover new designers under the auspices of WEBS (Women Empowered in Business Summit) where local entrepreneurs will promote their businesses and fashion designers can sell directly to the public. The main attraction will be the shopping festival at The Green on Kenyatta Drive, Oyster Bay, from 25-26 June 2011.

July

Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) and Festival of the Dhow Countries
The international film competition attracts filmmakers from the dhow countries of the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Screenings take place in Stone Town, Zanzibar, in several historical buildings.

The Festival of the Dhow Countries is a major annual event celebrating the culture of Indian Ocean traders where contemporary artists, cultural troupes, musicians, photographers and filmmakers can show off their work. The Festival takes place in the first two weeks of July.

Zanzibar Cultural Festival
Held throughout the archipelago, this annual festival focuses particularly on Swahili culture. Exhibitions of arts and crafts, music and dance, street carnivals and fairs all form part of this cultural festival, as do canoe races and a Portuguese-style bullfight on Pemba Island. It is held immediately after the Zanzibar International Film Festival and Festival of the Dhow Countries in the second half of July.

Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF)
The annual trade fair (also known as Saba Saba (seven seven) oranised by the Board of Trade is held on 7 July each year at the Mwalimu J K Nyerere Trade Fair Grounds. It hosts more than 1,500 exhibitors from over 18 countries.

Mwaka Kogwa
This annual Shirazi (Persian) New Year festival takes place on Zanzibar Island, celebrated particularly at Makunduchi, a small village on southern Unguja. Celebrations include dancing, throbbing drums, singing of traditional songs, feasting and various rituals to ensure prosperity in the coming year. The festival takes places usually on 23 or 24 July.

Build Expo Tanzania
Build Expo Tanzania is a trade exhibition attracting exhibitors from 20 countries. It is held in the Mlimani Conference Centre in Dar es Salaam’s CBD over three days during the second half of July (22-25 July 2011).

Mt Kilimanjaro Marathon (‘Wonder of the World Marathon’)
Because of the mountainous terrain, this marathon is run in four 10.5km circuits. The 42km annual marathon begins at Moshi Country Club at the base of Mt Kilimanjaro. It is run on different days each year. It will be run on 26 February 2012. It is a qualifier for the Comrades Ultra Marathon (89km/56 miles) run between Durban/Pietermaritzburg (up run) alternating with Pietermaritzburg/Durban (down run) in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, every June. The Kilimanjaro marathon is run on tarred roads at an altitude between 830-1,150m. There is also a half marathon and a fun run.

November

Swahili Fashion Week
Designers from Africa’s Swahili-speaking countries showcase their creations from 3-5 November 2011. The aim is job creation while attracting the international fashion industry to East Africa’s exotic designs.

Hotels in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania