Prepare to reset, recharge, and reconnect with yourself at the 2024 Kisima Festival. Embodying the Kiswahli word for “well”, Kisima Festival invites people to step away from the hustle of everyday life and embrace holistic well-being at a gathering space designed for internal nourishment and connection to community – in one of the most beautiful natural settings in the world. It’s your chance to escape hectic Nairobi for a true reset in a magical forest by the sea.
A Coastal Oasis for Wellness Seekers
The festival takes place in Kilifi at Beneath the Baobabs, who Kisima are working with. Imagine waking up to the sound of gentle ocean waves, stepping onto warm sand, and starting your day with yoga as the sun rises over the Indian Ocean. In its third year, the Kisima Festival has become a sanctuary for those who seek rejuvenation, offering a coastal retreat where wellness practices, mindfulness, and the healing power of nature come together, but perhaps in a different way than you might expect.
The festival runs for four days, from 21 to 24 November 2024, and is set in a stunning 50 acre baobab forest. Some of our favourite wellbeing practitioners will be gathered in this space to offer holistic wellbeing workshops, classes, talks and panel discussions based around the five elements that are this year’s theme – Ignite, Inspire, Ground, Flow and Ether.
An Innovative Array of Wellness Workshops
Whether you’re looking to deepen your yoga practice, expand your breathwork, or dive into meditation techniques, Kisima offers workshops for all experience levels. Physical flow can embody the Water Element; discover how to re-set your nervous system through movement and develop a sharper instinct for what your body needs by reconnecting with every cell of your being through exploring the depths of your physical capacities, whatever that is for your own body.
In addition to the more traditional asana and breath practices, there will be a range of innovative and diverse practices to explore, which include connecting with the local culture and environment, as well as with yourself.
Some of the more unique practices include:
Horse Therapy – That’s right, there’s a whole paddock with beautiful horses!
Wim Hof Method – Discover the secrets of the iceman with Kenya’s only certified instructor
SUP yoga – Super fun yoga on a stand-up-paddleboard on the creek
Aerial Silks – Learn circus skills and fly through the sky
Baobab Climbing – Connect with the baobab tree and get a beautiful view of the forest
Kaya Elders Ceremony – Connect with local spiritual practices
Kilifi Culture – Celebrating indigenous knowledge and practices of Mweria and Dhome
Healing From Addiction – A brave session held by Fareed Diamond Khimani
Grief Circle – Hosted by Nazizi
plus Boniface Mwangi’s Empowered Activism Installation – which is so topical this year and speaks to founder Heather Gordon Athié’s view that “looking outwards…is a kind of wellness 2.0”. To this end, Kisima Festival is really looking towards people who are affecting the greatest change in Kenya, and bringing them into the well being space. Athiė explained her ethos around wellness:
I think that wellness is much more nuanced and complicated than just eating vegetables and stretching. Wellness is about community. It’s about caring for those who are around you. It’s about participating in the bigger picture. It’s about recognizing structural inequality and doing your little bit, however big or small, to affect change”.
Ignite Conversation and Connect Through Community: The Fire Element
Wellness isn’t just about personal transformation; it’s also about finding community, and Kisima Festival embraces this fully. Kisima’s ethos is also about “inviting well being into the world of people who, perhaps … would not normally come to [this] kind of festival”. To achieve this, Kisima Festival has a scholarship fund whereby it gives away 25% of its tickets, through a network of NGOs that support beneficiaries with health services. Athié says,
For us, it’s really about integrating different worlds and realizing that we rise by lifting others and that we’re part of a much more beautiful, much more dynamic, much more hopeful earth than we give ourselves or anyone else credit for”.
There are workshops on spiritual journalling and breathing techniques but also on community activism, indigenous economics and the future of education. Kisima invites you to listen to and participate in thought provoking and engaging talks and panel discussions about important issues facing Kenyans, globally and locally, today. In the midst of all these practices, Kisima becomes a place where people can form meaningful connections with like-minded people, whatever their background.
Feel The Vibes: The Element of Ether
In addition to mindfulness, movement and community, in true festival style there will be music. Musicians from the local community will perform their own traditional music and drumming ceremonies. There’s also a lineup of fantastic musicians from across Kenya, including Lavosti, Zaituni Wambui, Sito Reno, DJ Bever, June on the Moon and Anne Jangle – who are all sure to provide epic musical experiences from reggae to Urban Taarab and folk oriented singer-songwriters. Of course there will be an After Party to close the festival.
There is also an art gallery, with an interactive citizen installation by Boniface Mwangi and a showcase of work by local artists for sale. The “Therapists and Healer Area”, which runs alongside the festival’s programmed offerings, will give you the opportunity to have one-on-one sessions with some amazing practitioners; you can explore massage, acupuncture or ayurveda, to name a few.
Inspire Healing: The Air Element
With so much on offer, your biggest challenge will be deciding which of the enlightening and stimulating workshops to attend. But you’ll want to make time for stillness and reflection as well. The stunning coastal environment is a core part of the Kisima experience. Of course, you have the twin temptations of the ocean front and creekside. You might take sunrise meditation walks or barefoot beach runs or do some forest bathing – the festival’s location beneath the baobabs will certainly remind you of the natural world’s healing potential.
Ground in Nature: The Earth Element
Kisima Festival itself takes this notion to heart and are decidated to weaving the worlds of environmentalism and wellness together. By blending wellness with conscious living, Kisima encourages participants to think about how their wellness practices can positively impact the planet.
More than a Wellness Festival
The Kisima Festival is not adults-only either. There is a dedicated kids area with fun activities to creatively engage the children with mindfulness through playfulness. You will find kids’ yoga, baobab climbing, aerial silks, theatre games and storytelling sessions, eco-crafts and mud-play, water swings and paddle pools, and more. And if you need nanny services for any of your time at Kisima, you can book directly through the festival.
Kisima Festival 2024 is more than a wellness retreat; it’s a place to explore new practices, form lasting bonds, and find peace in a stunning coastal setting. Whether you’re a seasoned wellness enthusiast or just beginning your journey, Kisima’s welcoming atmosphere and diverse offerings make it a festival for everyone.
For more information about the Kisima Festival 2024 including the full programme and ticket purchase, click here.