'Routes & Roots’ Festival set to light up Tooro
The three-day festival organisers are optimistic that the event will transform the Tourism City into a living gallery of Ugandan identity.
Organisers cutting cake as a gesture to launch the Routes & Roots Festival 2026. (Courtesy photo)
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The ‘Routes and Roots’ festival, a rare experience expected to light up Tooro Kingdom, is set.
The festival, to be held between October 29–31, 2026, at the scenic Lake Saaka Recreation Centre in Fort Portal City, has since launched early bird tickets.
The three-day festival organisers are optimistic that the event will transform the Tourism City into a living gallery of Ugandan identity.
The event director, Timothy Ocen, who doubles as the Chief Executive Officer of Tio Tours and Travel, on Monday, July 6, revealed that: “This is not just a concert, but rather a full-scale adventure where three immersive stages will pulse nonstop, from the Afro-fusion main stage to the acoustic 'fireplace' story stage for intimate sets and spoken words."
Ocen added that the countdown for the tickets of Routes & Roots Festival is now live at http://www.routesandrootsfestival.com, with limited early bird discounts available.
The festival, to be held between October 29–31, 2026, at the scenic Lake Saaka Recreation Centre in Fort Portal City, has since launched early-bird tickets. (Courtesy photo)
“Our participants shall wander through Cultural Villages built as real Acholi, Buganda, Tooro, Busoga, and Karamojong homesteads, watch crafts being made, and when hunger hits, be ready to taste Uganda’s rare local delicacies ranging from Luwombo, Malakwang, plus Tooro coffee cuppings among other dishes," said Ocen.
Ocen added that this edition will feature all cultures of Uganda from Karamoja to Kigezi, Acholi to Ankole.
“This is a homecoming for the whole nation, the reason why we want people from all regions to buy early bird online discounted tickets,” he said.
For those who want more than music, Adventure Add-ons will run all weekend: enjoy sunrise crater lake hikes, boda city tours through Fort Portal, Mabere Caves excursions, and even hot air balloon rides over the Tooro landscape.
“As night falls, Night Markets camp; Art Streets light up with 100+ artisans, designers, and storytellers under fairy lights, which will be another experience, while the Family Zone will keep kids busy with drumming circles, face painting, and heritage games, said Ocen.
While officiating at the event recently in Kampala, the Tooro Kingdom Minister for Tourism, Joan Else Kantu, said the planned festival would light up their area and also come with more opportunities.
She noted that the ‘Routes & Roots’ tourism festival will be the best way to describe the Tooro culture, and urged Ugandans not to miss a dazzling cultural event that will be characterised by lots of fun.
“I am humbled to be part of this historical event that will be held at Lake Saaka. This will be a rare experience for the participants, who will turn up. I know they will leave with a good memory at the end of the day,” the Tooro Minister said.
Kantu revealed that Tooro had one major festival, His Majesty’s Coronation, which happens every year in September.
“On day one, it's cultural, and day two, it’s when all the King’s Subjects get involved. We are also pleased with the King’s ‘Ekyooto Ha Mpango’ initiative, which is a pre-coronation activity that lasts for a week. All these define Fort Portal’s exclusive Royal rich cultural heritage, storytelling, sports, fashion and eco-tourism.”
The Route and Roots Festival is an annual cultural event that will be rotated in different regions across the country, in a bid to promote culture and tourism.