Safari254

I attended the Blankets and Wine this past weekend. If my memory serves me right the last time I was there was probably back in 2014 just when they were trying a new format. The new format was more like a combination of music and arts ‘festival’ and it just didn’t sit right with me. The event was far too busy, instead of having one main stage there were several small ones littered with an array of performances such as poetry. The concept was good but poorly executed plus they had totally neglected the core audience who attend the event solely for the music.

Needless to stay I personally was not keen to attend another edition of B&W. However after the ‘misstep’, B&W went on a hiatus which did it a wealth of good as it came back bigger and better this year.

 

One major change is the frequency of the event. Instead of monthly , it is now quarterly and the venue has been moved from the Carnivore grounds to the Ng’ong Racecourse water front.

 

Be warned, despite the ticket indicating the event is to start at 11 am, if you show up on time you will find the set up still going on.

The first act on stage was Jarel. I first heard him on The Nests’ Legacy (2013). He did a cover of Sema’s Mwewe. You can listen to his rendition here.

 

 

In between each performance was a DJ’s set. The next performer was Sage. I’d never seen Sage perform live and I was eager to see her performance. She has a lovely voice and best believe I was on my feet as she performed my favorite song of her’s, Maskini.

 

 

 

 

You have the option of carrying your own food or buying at the several food stalls in the venue. My only qualm with the latter option is the limited variety on offer. Most of the places offered the same old fast food staples – fries and a burger

The most popular food stand was the Mama Rocks. The queue from the start of the event was extra long and stayed that way throughout the event.

 

There is no shortage of drinks either.

 

For those of us who love to shop the event certainly had us covered. There were pop up shops offering a range of locally made items.

I was definitely craving after the sandstorm bags but the prices … I have resorted to waiting for someone to gift me one.

 

The bags were retailing for Kshs 4,900

 

Some of the brands represented included Sands Storm, Bongo Sawa and Adele Dejak.

 

 

 

I had my hippie dreams come true thanks to Maua Jua. Flower crowns were all the rage at the event and I’ve always wanted one.

 

 

 

 

Fashion was front and center at the event. Nairobians really brought it, there were beautiful people all around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was more to be seen courtesy of Nivea’s black and white fashion show featuring collections by local designers.

 

 

 

 

 

After the fashion we were back to the music with Muthoni the Drummer Queen taking the stage. To be honest I have never been a big fan of her music, so I was not that enthusiastic. But when she came on stage… I don’t know what happened but something just clicked. Maybe it was the atmosphere but I really enjoyed her performance. Her style of music has evolved. You can listen to one of my favorites here .

 

 

 

To top it all off was the main act, Estelle. I cannot claim to be a major fan, so the only song I was able to sing along to was American Boy. She performed a mix of her songs and some old school hits. Her performance definitely brought the crowd to their feet and I had to do a bit of fighting through the crowd in order to get a few good shots.

 

 

 

 

Traditionally there’s always been an after party at a different venue but this time the after party was at the main event’s venue. There were a couple of DJs who ensured people were entertained.

Charges;

Advance Kshs 3,000

At the gate Kshs 3,500

Golden Ticket Kshs 5,000 (Includes brunch 11AM-1PM, bottle of wine, makeover by Lintons/shopping voucher worth KShs 1000)

Kids 5-12 get in free

The event is child friendly, though unlike other events there was no play area for the kids.