From the 28th to the 30th of August 2026, the Bayimba Cultural Foundation will present the 18th edition of the Bayimba International Festival of the Arts at Lunkulu Island, Buikwe, Mukono District, the home of the Bayimba Centre for Visual and Performing Arts.Event DetailsEvent: Bayimba International Festival of the Arts – 18th EditionDates: Friday, 28th – Sunday, 30th August 2026Venue: Lunkulu Island, Buikwe, Mukono District (42km from Kampala, accessible by road and by boat from Entebbe, Jinja, and Ggaba)Programme: Live music and performance across multiple stages, film screenings, cultural fellowship, creative arts symposiums, and the CREATE showcase of young women creativesAs part of Bayimba’s continuing work to build platforms where East African creative work is made, shown, taught and connected to markets, the 2026 edition will convene more than twenty Ugandan and international artists across multiple stages over three days.The festival carries forward a practice established in 2008 and sustained across eighteen consecutive editions.Within CREATE – Enhancing Skills and Financial Inclusion for Young Women in the Creative Economy, the festival functions as a market-linkage and showcase platform.Young women trained through the programme’s music and performing arts pathway are programmed alongside established artists, receive technical mentoring, and are introduced to promoters, programmers, venue operators, buyers, and cultural institutions.Under the consortium workplan, Bayimba’s showcase engages hundreds of participants each year, with outcomes spanning the programming of emerging artists, technical mentoring, networking opportunities, and branding and promotion support.PHOTOS: Revelers flock the Bayimba International Festival at Lunkulu IslandThe showcase is delivered under the programme’s Banking on Creativity narrative, which positions creative micro, small and medium enterprises as high-value assets for regional and global markets.A B2B lookbook profiling more than fifty women-led creative enterprises is being prepared for circulation to investors, buyers, and the wider Mastercard Foundation network. All CREATE showcase, skilling, and market-linkage opportunities are offered free of charge.The festival is where the work becomes visible. Young women who have spent months building craft, discipline and enterprise step onto the same stages as established artists, and they meet the promoters, programmers and buyers who can turn that work into a career. That is what a market-linkage platform is for.Faisal KIWEWA, Artistic Director, Bayimba Cultural FoundationThe 18th edition of the Bayimba International Festival of the Arts promises a spectacular lineup of creative showcases set against the serene, freshwater ecosystem of Lunkulu Island.Audiences can expect a vibrant mix of live musical artists, immersive visual arts exhibitions, cultural and traditional tourism engagements, and a special inclusive dance programme dubbed Every BODY Counts.Extending well beyond the stage, the festival grounds will also host physical health activities, sports, community outreach, and dedicated spaces for individual mental health rejuvenation.Beyond performance, the 2026 edition serves as a vital nexus for artists, festival programmers, venue operators, promoters, booking agents, cultural organisations, and creative entrepreneurs.All mentoring, programming, and networking formats are meticulously designed around participant readiness, technical capacity, and robust safeguarding considerations, with reasonable accessibility adjustments available upon request.By bridging local talent with global networks, the festival proudly advances Bayimba’s institutional commitment to inclusive cultural participation, inviting audiences, artists, media, and development partners to gather and foster a sustainable ecosystem where creatives can build dignified, lasting careers.The post Bayimba International Festival returns to Lunkulu Island this August | What We Know appeared first on MBU.