Ev Lyn
Ugandans love having a good time, it is quite evident when you see a new festival sprouting up every weekend or so, the best part about most of these recent events is the ability of the organisers to make them more destination based hence more appealing to the revellers. Fusing travel together with music is a brilliant idea that most events managers are starting to sell as a concept to a certain demographic of Ugandans, the young working class who are hungry for new experiences.
There is something freeing about enjoying music whilst frolicking with nature far away from the hustle and bustle that you have been experiencing every day. There is a feeling of freedom and even better meeting new people in celebration of a good weekend.
The newest of these festivals is called “Jazz on The Island” that promises to give revellers a great music from some of the most talented instrumentalists the country has to offer.
“We have always organised leisure trips to the island but without any major concept attached to them. This time round the major question was why would I want to go to the island and what kind of crowd am I targeting and that’s why I came up with jazz on the island, despite jazz being a major favorite genre of music,” says Agaba Noel, one of the organisers.
The event slated to happen on the Ssese Islands at the Ssese Habitat Resort, one of the properties available for booking on Jumia Travel; is expected to attract a huge number of jazz and travel enthusiasts who are willing to part with 300,000 UGX for a weekend of fun.
The Ssese islands are a collection of islands on the Lake Victoria that have become some of the best vacation destinations for Ugandans and tourists. The islands have different accommodation choices for visitors ranging from Banda lodges, Dorms, B&Bs and actual hotels with good facilities that can give you a relaxing weekend of unwinding.
Accessing the islands is not difficult since you can get a boat or ferry from different locations; starting from Ggaba, Mukono, Luzira, Masaka and Entebbe which can cost you approximately 14,000 UGX per person for a one-way trip depending on where you are picked up from.
Jazz is a great genre of choice and with it being more laid back with the fact that it is even better done live makes it more appealing to those who are going to listen it has a very relaxing feel to it. The genre displays great skill and talent and this can be seen through the artists that were selected to entertain the travellers. The organisers plan on holding this event after every 3 months to target a crowd filled with music lovers and ardent travellers. The lineup of artists for this edition include; Jazz Freak band, Happy K, Michael Kitanda, Allan Toniks and Jackie Akello. These are artists whose immense talent shines through with every performance they give and because people can easily relate with some of their music, it makes it to perform because they are blessed with great talent and have music that our guests will enjoy and relate with. One would wonder how Toniks an artist most Ugandans have not heard from in awhile fits into a Jazz event, but it’s an irrefutable fact that his vocal maturity and talent with the guitar places him above some of his peers.
Noel Agaba further states that: “Our major aim is to appreciate and promote live jazz music across africa, promote tourism and fun.”
On Friday the 4th of November, the buses will depart from the National Theatre and head to Entebbe to board a ferry that will take the travelers straight to the island. Aboard the ferry, the travelers will be provided with a fully stocked bar with entertainment and a BBQ on the house. On arrival, all Guests will be checked into their rooms at the Ssese Habitat Resort as dinner will be ready to be served and enjoy music from DJs later on in the night.
The rest of the days are planned for excitement and fun for all the guests with activities such as: beach games, bike riding, boat cruises, nature walks, quad bikes will be available, board games to mention but a few.
All this including transportation, food, entertainment and accommodation all fall under a meagre price of 300, 000 UGX for singles and 550, 000 UGX for couples.
For inquiries visit: Jazz On The Island
Credit: travel.jumia.com
