The highly-anticipated Sand Music Festival comeback has faced another setback after organisers Impakt Events failed to secure a lakeshore venue for the festival.

The organisers said their efforts to secure a venue at one of the lakeside resorts in Salima have hit a blank after the owners denied them permission to host the event at their respective premises.

Mawhow performing during a Sandfest event in Lilongwe last year. | Courtesy of Sandfest

Impakt Events Management lead coordinator Yamikani Chinguo said Salima District was their desired venue considering the market research they conducted in line with the current economic situation.

“We have been working tirelessly to secure a venue. Unfortunately, we have not been successful. Stakeholders we have worked with before in that area have given us reasons in support of their position and we cannot push them anymore,” he said.

Chinguo said they are working on fresh arrangements to host the event either in Blantyre or Lilongwe as they don’t want to have the Sand Music Festival brand completely forgotten.

He said: “We will just tweak the theme a little bit. We will have a one-day event, which will be headlined by local artists. But we will maintain the same dates we announced either on a Saturday or Sunday between September 25 and 27.”

This will be a third year running that the festival has failed to take place at its traditional venues alongside the lakeshore districts of Mangochi or Salima since the death of Impakt Events Management founder ‘Soldier’ Lucius Banda.

In December last year, Impakt Events Management hosted the Mawhoo Experience Concert at Bingu International Convention Centre Amphitheatre in Lilongwe, which the company described as a fundraiser for this year’s comeback event.

That was followed by an announcement from the company which confirmed the return of the event this year to be held from September 25 to 27 at a venue to be unveiled later.

“Sand Music Festival 2026-We are back! The wait is over; the beach is calling. Good vibes, endless summer. Sun. Sand. Sound,” read the announcement in part.

But as the dates have drawn closer, festival-goers have grown impatient with the lack of updates about the events and some of them have taken to the Sand Music Festival Facebook page to openly express their frustration.

Reveller Buxton Baleke Kayuni said: “We need an update on the venue to enable us make advanced accommodation bookings. And don’t forget Burning Spear on the menu please.”

The festival was founded over 13 years ago and established itself as one of the major art and culture events on the local entertainment calendar. Over the years, the platform has been graced by numerous international and local artists such as Gramps Morgan, Makhazi, Nkosazana Daughter, Kenyatta Hill, Awilo Longomba and Bohle.

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