Are Ugandans finally warming up to draft beer?

The first thing you noticed when you arrived at Jahazi Pier last weekend, were the large beer mugs that the people were drinking from. Which was interesting because Ugandans do not like draft beer, as far as we know?

Draft beer has failed to catch on in this country because, for some reason, we just love our beer coming from a bottle. No amount of glamourising draft beer has seemed to work in this town. We have all seen those frosty shiny faucets at fancy pubs that barely ever get touched because no one ever points at them to order a cold one out of them. 

Which kinda makes sense. We have this vain beer tradition, where we order as many beers as possible, enough to completely cover the tabletop, no matter how big it. It is called “okudugaza emeeza”. This is our beer culture, bro.

One wonders who came up with it. Anyway, for obvious reasons, it is not possible to pull off this vain little tradition with draft beer. 

It will take some big shot beer marketer to figure out a way to darken the table with draft beer or else it may never catch on.

And yet, last weekend, revellers at the second installation of Bell Obafest drank draft beer like it had become cool in this town. The three-day beer festival brought thousands of beer lovers together, to celebrate beer, share food and enjoy live music performances from the big names of the industry.

After a fiery opening event on the evening of Friday 18, the tone for the rest of the weekend was set. It would be a celebration of beer like no other and the decor gave hint after hint. Unlike last year's inaugural event where spirits were included too, this year's Obafest was a strict beer affair. 

Guinness’s match day experience was dope, with several mega screens showing the big matches of the weekend, the Premier League inclusive. It is easy to see why it pulled the biggest numbers during the day before the big concert performances began in the evenings.

The waterfront venue was decked in beer paraphernalia The next day, music started playing as early as 11 am, with the first festival goers trickling in, armed with mats, sun hats and warm clothing, clearly ready to stay till late. 

Music just tastes better with music and this year's Obafest had a lineup of DJs that would easily loosen up a saint. Dj Roja, DJ Aluda and all the biggest names in the DJ world had all goten the memo, including the rare species called Suuna Ben, who needs no introduction.

Clearly no penny had been spared in efforts to impress the revelers with great music. Because again, music and beer go together like bread and butter. A beer festival without impeccable music is not worth the name.

While the DJs dominated afternoons of drinking and eating and dancing, the evenings were dominated by great stage performances from Uganda's very best musicians. 

All you had to do was take a look at the line up to know that the goal was to impress, engrave Obafest on people's minds and ensure this nascent beer festival grows into a party phenomenon in this city. 

So when evenings came, the large crowds gathered in front of the stage, beer mugs in their hands, to watch their favourite performers, who included John Blaq, Elijah Kitaka, Azawi, Winnie Nwagi, Vinka, Blue 3, Bebe Cool, Madoxx, and of course the mad man, Suuna Ben, who served the comic relief, quite expectedly.

Bell ObaFest 2024 was nothing short of spectacular. If they stay on this track, they won't have a venue big enough to handle crowds in a few years. Bell may be at the cusp of influencing Uganda's beer culture with this festival.

People were invited to taste beers they would not ordinarily order for, new brands such as Bell Citrus and Pilsener King were launched and introduced to Uganda's top beer drinkers. Oh, and btw, Pilsener King has an abv of 7, making it one of the strongest on the market today. If predictions are right, this may become the new king of the countryside where the stronger the beer, the more popular it becomes. 

The three-day beer festival was a stellar celebration of culture, music, and happiness. One would hope it grows to become an annual event that we all look forward to. And chances are it will be.