Festivals
There is always something going on in Kenya. Kenyan people are very sociable by nature, and fun festivals are known to sprout up anywhere at any time. To keep up on festivals, concerts, sports tournaments, and parties, read the Daily Nation Newspaper. For a few shilling you can get all the latest local and international news, as well as some tips on festivals all over the country. See the Links section for the Daily Nation on the Web. Here are a few annual festivals to give you an idea of the fun to be had in Kenya. International Camel Derby: Perhaps the most fun possible in one weekend is the annual International Camel Derby. The Derby is held every July in a town called Maralal in northern Kenya and everyone is invited for a hell of a good time. The area is the traditional homelands of the Samuru tribe, close relatives to the Maasai of southern Kenya and Tanzania. They wear red cloth, as the Maasai do, but the Samuru are incredibly clean, and are by far the smartest dressers of Kenya. The race is based at Yare Club and Campground, a few km out of town, where you are free to camp for KSh 200, or get a nice room. There is an amateur competition and a professional race. The amateur class is open to anyone wishing to ride. Get there on Friday or early Saturday if you wish to register for the race. All camels available to ride hang out outside of the Yare Club. You, the prospective rider, must pick a good one. For a few thousand Kenyan shillings, you can pick your own camel, hire a handler to run behind your camel and hit it with a stick, and take a chance at winning a lot of money. You can be sure that every camel is ornery, and many are known to sit down in the middle of the race. No matter how you do, you can be sure of two things: You’ll leave with a hang-over from celebrating for two days straight, and you’ll be so sore you won’t be able to sit comfortably for days. See the section entitled Maralal under Northern Kenya for more information on the town itself. The Nakuru Rugby Tournament: Every May in Nakuru there’s a Rugby Tournament. A dozen or so teams of ten players from all over Kenya show up to strut their stuff. There are many excellent players and everyone plays hard. There’s tons of beer for sale starting at 8:00 am, a bar with music blaring and people dancing, and people hitting each other at high speeds. I ask you, what else could a guy want? There are other Rugby and Football tournaments throughout the year in several major Kenyan cites. Keep an eye out in the Daily Nation for sports action in your area. The ISK 4th of July Party: Every July 4th, the American Embassy puts on an Independence Day party at the International School of Kenya outside of Nairobi. Everyone is invited, not only Americans. The party is made up of mostly of Embassy employees, Peace Corps Volunteers, and U.S. Marines, all trying to prove they’re the best and toughest in Kenya by who can drink the most beers in a day (Peace Corps always wins). There’s tons of American food for sale, like hamburgers, hotdogs, and pizza, and you can even buy a Budweiser from the Marines. Food and drinks are expensive, and you must purchase coupons on the gate that you use to buy stuff. You must by KSh 300 worth of coupons to enter. There’s softball, Frisbee, and a swimming pool to keep you busy. There is also a raffle, where you can buy tickets for a chance to win a round-trip ticket to anywhere from Swiss Air, or free weekends at nice resort hotels across the country. Those left standing at 4:00 pm arrange more fun that night. A time where people give presnants to each other
date: 5.3.05
zipcode: 1122
tel: 07986777415
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address: 28 montrose drive