Blankets & Wine, produced by GoodTimes Africa, has announced the lineup for its Kenyan Summer 2025 edition, scheduled for Sunday, December 21, 2025 at Laureate Gardens, Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in Nairobi. Organisers said the event will start at 12pm and will feature two stages, with tickets available via the Mookh platform.

The bill includes Kenyan acts Iyanii, Matata, Okello Max, Ssaru, Bridget Blue, Elsy Wameyo and Shad Mziki, alongside regional and international performers led by South Africa’s Scorpion Kings (Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa), Tanzania’s Marioo and UK artist Donae’o, according to the press release dated December 9, 2025.

The festival is being staged under the theme “COME WE DANCE!” and is partnered with the British Council’s UK/Kenya Season 2025, which the organisers described as a cultural exchange initiative linking UK and Kenyan creative industries. The partnership follows Blankets & Wine’s UK debut in Bradford earlier in 2025, the statement said, adding that the collaboration is extending back to Nairobi for the December event.

“Our debut in Bradford, UK this year, proved that the Blankets & Wine experience travels and that African creativity resonates globally,” said Muthoni Drummer Queen, Creative Director of Blankets & Wine. “Bringing Donae’o to Nairobi is a full-circle celebration for us, showing that the UK/Kenya Season is not a moment but a movement.”

A British Council spokesperson said the organisation would continue supporting the partnership. “We are delighted to continue this partnership. Blankets & Wine embodies the mutual exchange and creative innovation that the UK/Kenya Season was built to champion,” the spokesperson said.

On the main stage, organisers said South Africa’s Mi Casa will also perform, adding to a lineup that blends Kenyan genres such as gengetone with Afrofusion, R&B and contemporary African pop. The Onja Onja Stage will focus on electronic and alternative programming, featuring Foozak, Tina Ardor, Ms. Mika, Darkfruit, Shishi, and a back-to-back set from Aly Fresh, Mura and Big Nyagz, the release said.

Beyond music, organisers said the Onja Onja Market will return as a holiday marketplace for Kenyan fashion, food, art, wellness and lifestyle brands. The market is positioned as a platform for local traders to reach festival audiences during the year-end consumer season, when discretionary spending typically rises for leisure, gifting and travel-related activities.

The announcement underscores the growing role of ticketed live entertainment in Kenya’s urban consumer economy, with events increasingly bundling music, food and retail experiences into a single spend occasion. For Kenyan brands and SMEs, festival marketplaces have become an additional route to customer acquisition and product testing, while large-format venues such as Kasarani provide the scale needed for higher-capacity events.

Organisers also said Blankets & Wine, now in its 17th year, is focusing on operational and production improvements. “For years, we’ve worked tirelessly to delight audiences through exceptional artistry and dependable production. Now we are sharpening our operations, sound, staging, hospitality and accessibility,” said Muthoni Drummer Queen.

Justine Mbugua, Head of Festivals at Blankets & Wine, said the team is prioritising service execution. “Each edition strengthens the cultural ecosystem. We are deeply focused on service excellence and creating a seamless experience from entry to exit,” she said.

Next milestones include ticket sales performance ahead of the December date and the release of additional programming details around staging and market vendors. The organisers said more information is available on the festival’s website and social channels, while media inquiries are being handled by Anyiko Public Relations.