Blankets & Wine, a Nairobi-founded live music festival produced by GoodTimes Africa, opened its 2026 season on Sunday, June 7, 2026, with a June edition held at Kasarani Indoor Arena in Nairobi, according to a press release dated June 8. Organisers said the event ran across two performance areas—the Main Stage inside the arena and the Onja Onja Stage at The Annex—alongside an outdoor Onja Onja Market for vendors.
The June edition featured Kenyan and African performers, including Labdi, Mordecai Dex, Mejja, Serro, Mutoriah and Watendawili, with Nigerian artist Fave also on the lineup, the organisers said. The Onja Onja Stage hosted electronic and DJ sets featuring DJADE, DJ Paps, Sir M, Kaneda, One Down, DJ IV, Goldmax, Suraj, LA Dave and Hiribae, among others.
The event forms part of Blankets & Wine’s 17th year of operation. The festival was founded in Nairobi in 2008 by Muthoni Ndonga and has staged editions in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and the UK, according to the same statement.
Organisers said the Main Stage programme opened with Labdi, followed by performances by Mordecai Dex and Serro. The festival said Fave performed a set during the event, while Mejja and Mutoriah appeared later on the bill. Watendawili closed the night, with the organisers citing surprise guest appearances by Charisma and Xeniah Manasseh during the set.
On the Onja Onja Stage, the organisers said DJADE opened before DJ Paps, with a back-to-back set from Sir M and Kaneda and additional performances by One Down and DJ IV. The statement also cited a performance by South African artist Goldmax, and said the stage ended with a joint set by Suraj, LA Dave and Hiribae.
The June edition also served as the rollout of the festival’s year-long platform dubbed “Your Taste Lives Here,” which the organisers described as a cultural programme focused on Kenyan music, food, fashion and community experiences.
“Every edition of Blankets & Wine begins with a simple question: what does it mean to gather meaningfully in this moment?” said Muthoni Ndonga, Founder and Creative Director. “This June, we introduced some bold changes and our audience once again reminded us that the true power of the festival lies in intentional gathering, shared experiences and the sense of community that continues to define and shape Blankets & Wine.”
The festival said the Onja Onja Market, located outdoors next to the Onja Onja Stage, brought together food vendors, fashion brands and creative entrepreneurs. “We are grateful to everyone who explored The Onja Onja Market, it was exciting to see audiences discovering, supporting and engaging with local brands,” said Michelle Njeri, Brand Manager.
For Kenya’s entertainment and events economy, large-format festivals like Blankets & Wine create business for event production, venue operations, hospitality, transport, and micro and small enterprises that sell food, beverages, fashion and merchandise on-site. The Onja Onja Market segment signals continued interest in festival-linked retail opportunities, where independent brands access concentrated footfall and brand visibility.
GoodTimes Africa said upcoming editions are scheduled for September 6 and December 20, 2026.