Kuomboka — Royal Lozi Ceremony
Traditional and popular parties · From Lealui to Limulunga, Mongu District, Zambia
The festival
In western Zambia, when the Zambezi flooded the plain of Barotseland, comes the time of the Kuomboka, "get out of the water" in lozi. The Litunga, king of the Lozi, leaves his palace of Lealui, on the flooded plain, for that of Limulunga, on the heights, on board the great royal barge Nalikwanda, struck with the carved elephant and rhythmed by the royal drums Maoma and about a hundred paddlers. It is the journey of an entire people behind his king, at the rhythm of the flood.
Attention: there is no fixed date — it is stopped each year by the Barotse Royal Establishment according to the level of the waters, and the ceremony can be cancelled some years; the edition 2026 took place on March 28, 2026.
Good to know
The date is fixed each year by the Barotse Royal Establishment according to the Zambezi flood; the ceremony can be cancelled if the flood is insufficient. Edition 2026 held on March 28.