Kasi Vibe Festival Falls Flat With Disappointing Turnout

The 2024 edition of the Kasi Vibe Festival, once a vibrant celebration of local culture, music and art, fell flat with low attendance.

Speaking at the Kasi Vibe media launch a few weeks ago, Kasi Vibe Festival spokesperson Salmi Shigwedha expressed readiness to host the 14th edition of the festival.

Fast forward to the first week of October, when the event finally took place in Windhoek, the once lively and popular festival drew lacklustre attendance.

Vendors, who usually see this event as a profit-making opportunity, expressed frustration and disappointment with this year’s turnout.

First-time exhibitor Kondjeni Nujoma expressed concern with the slow pace of activity at the Kasi Vibe Festival.

Nujoma said she was shocked and expected a larger turnout.

“We have invested a lot and we are hoping for profits, but I don’t think we will make any,” she said.

The entertainment was equally slow, as DJs played to a small crowd with the atmosphere feeling off.

Many loyal fans were left questioning what went wrong as the tickets cost N$80. Some questioned if it could have been poor timing, as the event competed with other major events, including the Windhoek Show.

Whatever the reason, the spirit of Kasi Vibe felt absent, leaving festival-goers disappointed.

A traditional food vendor who preferred to remain anonymous says the Kasi Vibe Festival was the first black-owned festival she had heard about, which motivated her to take part this year.

“I thought getting a chance to be part of Kasi Vibe was the most exciting moment of my business journey, given that I have a business at Katutura. This was finally my chance to show people that the drive was worthwhile, to have people taste Oshiwambo traditional delicacies. But by the look of things, I just wasted my time and money because I did not make any profit.”

For attendee TK Katjiuanjo, the event offered a rare opportunity to meet fellow young entrepreneurs, network and be inspired.

“It’s a big learning platform and a way to make more money for your business,” he says.

“The Kasi Vibe Festival has become the most prominent festival in Windhoek’s cultural calendar, but this year’s edition showed that even the most beloved events can lose momentum without proper planning and execution,” he says.

Fans are hoping the organisers will take the feedback seriously and come back stronger next year, restoring the energy and excitement that Kasi Vibe is known for.

Event organiser Shigwedha acknowledged that the timing of the festival may have been a contributing factor to the lower turnout. She pledged improvements for future events.

“We recognise that timing played a role, and next year, we’ll explore different marketing avenues and stronger calls to action,” she said.

Looking ahead, Shigwedha emphasised plans to collaborate more closely with vendors to diversify the festival’s offerings and improve its publicity.

“We’ll announce the dates for the next edition early next year, and we will again prioritise a call to action,” she added.