Lake of Stars returns next year

The brains behind Lake of Stars Arts Festival have ended three years of silence, announcing that the world acclaimed homage to Lake Malawi returns next year.

A statement issued on Monday shows the annual music festival, which brings together a diversity of performers and patrons from within and without to the palm-fringed shores of the continent’s third fresh water lake, will be back at ‘a lakeside location’ from September 26 to 28.

The comeback comes just months after the festival celebrated its 10th anniversary with City of Stars, a two-day arts fiesta and conference in Lilongwe in October this year.

The festival’s founder and director Will Jameson says the Lake of Stars crew is excited to host the 10th annual festival back on the glistening sands of the lake which catapulted the country to the number one spot on CNN’s Lonely Planet Top 10 Countries to Visit.

Interestingly, tickets are already on sale online for the festival which will feature two of Malawi’s accomplished artists – hitmaker Peter Mawanga and musician-of-the-moment Skeffa Chimoto.

“Following a headline performance at City of Stars, Peter Mawanga was chosen by Celtic Connections Artistic Director Donald Shaw to perform at one of the UK’s largest folk, roots and world music festivals.

Having released his fifth album in October, Lilongwe-based reggae musician Skeffa Chimoto will join Peter as one of the major Malawian headliners,” Jameson says.

He urges both local and visiting fans to expect “more incredible artists from Malawi, across Africa and the rest of the world at this year’s festival”.

The experience will also include an eclectic programme of music, comedy, visual arts and poetry with new additions of talks and family activities, he promised.

“The venue and further acts will be revealed in the New Year, with tickets already on sale,” he said.

The Nation

is reliably informed by an insider that negotiations are underway to stage the three-day festival to its traditional home–the grounds of Sunbird Nkopola in Mangochi – when it reappears.

The hiatus announced in 2010 left the vast venue to musician Lucius Banda’s Sand Festival.