Djembé International Festival — Conakry, December 2026: programme and dates
Guinea must become the world capital of rhythms and percussion again: from 8 to 13 December 2026, Conakry hosts the 2nd edition of the International Festival of Djembé and Percussions, implemented by Circus Baobab.
There are instruments that are passports. The djembé, born in the Mandingue Empire, has travelled around the world — but it is in Conakry that his heart beats the strongest. In December 2026, Guinea intends to remind the whole planet: the 2nd edition of the International Festival of Djembé and Percussions (FID) will be held from Tuesday 8 to Sunday 13 December 2026 in the Guinean capital.
The return of a giant
The festival had signed its return in December 2024, after a long interruption: 24 concerts, Guinean groups from all over the country — from Kankan to Boké, from Labé to N'Zérékoré — and international guests, from Fulu Miziki (RD Congo) to BCUC (South Africa), from Ghetto Kumbé (Colombia) to Nana Benz of Togo. Organized by the International Center for Percussions (CIP), with the support of the association Nuits Métis, this edition-renaissance had also deployed creative residences, workshops and professional meetings on the preservation of instruments, rhythms and rites.
Circus Baobab in charge
By 2026, the implementation was carried out by a Guinean institution of world renown: Circus Baobab, the circus troupe born in Conakry, which trains and makes filming Guinean acrobats on the scenes of the entire world. Preparations were officially launched on 6 June 2026 at the Centre culturel franco-Guinea (CCFG), in the presence of the dean Fatou Abu Camara and Famoudou Konaté, Ba Cissoko and Ballets Djoliba. The edition is sponsored by Minister of Economy, Finance and Budget Mariama Ciré Sylla and Minister of Communication Murana Soumah — and is part of the vision of the Simandou 2040 programme, which makes culture a lever for development.
More than a festival, a backup
The FID goes beyond the stage: a fair for percussion products, reflection on the reforestation to compensate for the wood of the instruments, work on the status of the artist... The festival is intended as a transmission tool as well as a party. For six days, Conakry will not only be the capital of Guinea: it will be the rhythm.
Practical information
International Festival of Djembé and Percussions (FID) — 2nd edition · 8-13 December 2026 · Conakry, Guinea
Implementation: Circus Baobab; Historical Co-Organization: International Centre for Percussion (CIP) and Métis Nights Association
Official page of the festival: nightsmetis.org/actions/fid-guinee
— Moïse 1er, the Festival Explorer