Business-owners in Mwea enjoy windfall as beer festival brightens up sleepy town
MWEA - Wednesday, 18th October 2022: The Tusker OktobaFest visited to Mwea this weekend, with the Kenyan beer festival electing to bring the festivities to the central Kenyan town.
The premier Kenyan beer festival sported a 10-artist strong line-up at the Jamii Executive Gardens, which was on hand to ensure the 3000-strong crowd remained entertained over the two days. Ayrosh, Bensoul, Barak Jacuzzi, Fena Gitu, and Ssaru were added to the performers list to support the headliners Khaligraph Jones and Mejja over the two days of the festival, which is held every year to celebrate Kenyan food, music, and beer.
What shone through during the festival weekend, however, was the impact that the Tusker OktobaFest had on the local economy. There was a noticeable energy and vibrancy that the event brought to the sleepy town, with businesses such as transport, services and hospitality getting a boost, courtesy of the crowds brought on by the beer festival.
Speaking at the event, the proprietor of Jamii Executive Gardens, Alex Mwangi shared his thoughts on the impact that the festival has had on his and adjacent businesses:
"It has been a blessing for this festival to choose Mwea to hold the Tusker OktobaFest. This is a true demonstration of the national nature of Tusker as a brand. Not only that, but it has also given residents of this town who attended the festival a chance to see their favourite artists live in the flesh, which is something that they did not believe they could do. Even for those people who did not attend the festival, such as business-proprietors in and around the venue. Over the course of this weekend, the local hotel here has been booked to capacity. Our local taxi, matatu and boda-boda riders have also seen a surge in demand for their services. In addition, our food vendors have also done an excellent job in ensuring that festivalgoers have remained fed. On behalf of business-owners from Mwea we are grateful to have hosted OktobaFest this weekend."
The OktobaFest now shifts gears to Nairobi, with the festival finale slotted to take place from the 28th to the 30th of this month at the Ngong Racecourse, Nairobi.
Tickets to OktobaFest remain available upon purchase of KBL beers from The Bar.com, ChupaChap, Jumia Party, Oaks & Corks, Carrefour, Quickmart, Naivas or Chandarana. Tickets are also available on TicketSasa.
