The International Jazz Festival is finally coming to Kenya. The festival has been running in different nations around the world. The Cape Town Jazz Fest is the only and notably the biggest Jazz event in Africa. On its 10th anniversary, Cape Town festival saw attendance grow from 15, 000 in 2000 to 33,500 this year.

In its first year of operation, the NIJF (Nairobi International Jazz Festival) is expected to be one of the largest of Nairobi’s annual signature events, drawing crowds both from Kenya and abroad.

The long term goal is to position the NIJF as an important international event, an asset to the world jazz calendar, raising the global profile of Kenya as a tourist destination, and a centre of cultural excellence in Africa.

The event organizers (Event Factory) promise to produce some of the most dynamic jazz artists on the scene today, from the traditional to the avant-garde. In the true ‘fusion’ spirit of jazz, artists from countries around the world will come together to present an outstanding jazz programme, as extravagantly diverse as the genre itself.

The event is slated to be held some time in November 2009.