14th Nile River Festival – 24-27 January 2019

The Kayak the Nile team are back with another edition of the Nile River Festival in Jinja, Uganda. This four-day annual event is a true celebration of the Nile River where every year, the festival draws some of the best kayakers from around the world to compete for the overall Champion’s title. With this section of the White Nile losing some special rapids to a new hydropower scheme in recent months, the 2019 festival has a new format, and will be a chance for the world to see the rapids that still remain on the Nile River. The new format includes freestyle events on 8 of the best freestyle features that are still here on the Nile, as well as a big trick Cuban event and of course the epic Itanda race and big air ramp which remain unchanged. The 2019 festival will also include a mountain bike race and their first ever freestyle white water rafting event as well as the obligatory parties, live music and general festival vibes!

New events lined up for the 2019 Nile River Festival

Big air ramp
Now a classic fun start to the festival, come and enjoy the music, the sunset and launch yourself off an enormous ski-jump style ramp just in front one of the busier bars in Uganda!

The Ugandan Freestyle Kayaking Championships on Itanda Hole
This event will crown the Ugandan National Champions and select a team for the upcoming world championships.
Any nationality can enter (highest Ugandan’s will be crowned champions and make the team!) and the event goes towards determining the overall king of the Nile.

Nile River Festival Freestyle
A unique format with two epic events running alongside each other – kayak freestyle and raft freestyle.
The event will include a river run stopping at the best spots for videographers to film competitors best moves.
Each competitor will get their own short edit, with judging completed at the Saturday night party and online from the final edits

Big Trick Cuban event
The gigantic Cuban feature will host a big air big trick competition, this is a standing wave half way down the epic Itanda Falls where huge moves and scary wipe outs will make for entertaining watching for spectators

Itanda falls Hendi Coetzee memorial race
As epic and terrifying as ever… competitors head to head race down gigantic Itanda falls
The unlucky few to make the finals do another lap, freeride, with the compulsory finish line in the bad place hole!

Save the date and stay tuned for more coverage on kayaksession.com and following from #NileRiverFest2019!
(more information visit Nile River Festival 2019 Website)