Whether you’re an active reveler of the social scene in Kigali or you are affluently keeping up with it through stories and reels on social media, you must’ve noticed that brunch and daytime events have become a norm, especially on Sundays. The concept of brunch is a classic pop culture norm that typically entails a wide spread of food and drink assortments that loosely classify as fusion of breakfast and lunch choices, that have been known to be the perfect hangover cure after a long Saturday night and a popular stop for churchgoers after sermons. Kigali’s social scene has seen an eminent rise in daytime events and Sunday brunches since post pandemic times, which is a stark contrast to the usual bar- club scene and the occasional ginormous concerts that have often seen high attendance rates. Day time events initially emerged through Sunday brunches whose prices range within Rwf25,000 to 50,000 at restaurants such as Filini at Radisson Blu, Marriot hotel, Chillax and many more, however that’s not all there is to it. The entertainment spectrum of the city has broadened significantly over the years, and while artistes from abroad still hold a portion of the pie with their much anticipated concerts, looking within and curating events to showcase local talent has pulled in crowds and the big turnout at local events whether its art exhibitions, music performances speaks volumes to the power of creative spaces to bring people together. Arnold Kwizera, a media personality, believes that the emerging day time events in Kigali can be attributed to the trend that countries like Kenya and Uganda have set with day parties and the eminence of Afrobeats and Amapiano music genres that bring people together paired with the demand for alternate event concepts by people from different walks of life. “Combined with a growing entertainment culture has led to more creativity and options being provided for by players in the sector. I think we’ve barely scratched the surface for this trend and it’s something that is here to stay. We are going to see more and more day time events,” Kwizera says. For Ornella Kayitaba, lead curator of Sofar Kigali, one of the most outstanding aspects about the event scene in Kigali is how they are being tailored to uplift local talents rather than attribute quality entertainment to a mere foreign aspect. Additionally, she shed light onto the fact that interests vary and big concerts and clubbing may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Having cozy day time events ticks the box should one want to keep their social calendar active without late nights. “Sofar events are set to be daytime early evening events and that’s the standard we’ve been maintaining weekly and monthly. Big concerts and clubbing is not everybody’s thing and cozy intimate events during the day can accommodate socializing and entertainment, which gives alternate options to the introverts that don’t want to be in crowded spaces to attend events. The entertainment scene is growing as well and listening to nice music and local bred artists at events is much more exciting than sitting aimlessly in a bar,” says Kayitaba. The rising demand for daytime events is reserved mostly for Sundays and Saturdays, and more emerging creative/events platforms are tapping in to fill the gap, which has been meticulously done by curating just the right theme for the season, for example a Barbie themed party or a well curated DJ set paired with various assortments of food and drinks, which assures a good turnout and an ideal social scene. From where Curious Afrika founder, Emika Kabera, sees it, Kigali’s enthusiasm over day parties should be taken into account and utilized to deliver quality experiences and events. “I am the founder of Curious Afrika, a creative space that serves as a platform for events, film and media. I recently hosted a block party during the day because daytime events allow people to come together and genuinely connect over food and drinks and still have time to head home early. I plan to host more day parties in the future and I firmly believe Kigali is the place to do so because having had the privilege to attend various day parties in the city, I’ve witnessed the incredible energy and enthusiasm of the local community,” Kabera says. The innate success of daytime events like the recently concluded Giants of Africa festival and events curated by the Hottempah collective, Sofar Kigali and others, have exhibited the potential for a growing events spectrum0, positioning the variety not only as an added advantage and option but also as alternative to socialize within the new nighttime hours.
