The Lake of Stars Festival was brought to life by Will Jameson, one of the founder members of Liverpool club night Chibuku. Will discovered the beautiful country of Malawi whilst volunteering in his gap year and knew instantaneously that when he next returned, it would be for a reason; and so the Lake Of Stars festival was born. The event, which has now become an annual occurrence, aims to raise the profile of what is a beautiful but poor country. The people of Malawi truly are the biggest asset; with the country being described as “The warm heart of Africa”, and this is evident in the amazingly friendly reception given to those lucky enough to travel to the country.

The aims of the festival are to raise money for charitable projects in Malawi in the form of direct fundraising, as well as through a boost to the economy generated by tourism. The festival also hopes to promote the idea of a cultural exchange between the 2 countries, breaking down barriers and opening people’s eyes to all that Malawi has to offer.

The picturesque Chinteche Inn on the shore of Lake Malawi is the setting for the festival itself, which over the course of three days sees an eclectic mix of the world’s finest DJs and bands come together to perform in the heart of Africa.

The festival truly is an international affair with a like-minded crowd from all over Europe and Africa joining forces to have a good time. 2004 saw Andy Cato from Groove Armada flown over to rapturous reception, with Felix B from Basement Jaxx and DJ Yoda headlining the UK acts in 2005.

Alongside these are some of Malawi’s best performers, which in previous years have included the Black Missionaries, a 10-piece reggae band; Malawi’s biggest music star, the jazz performer Wambali; Tikhu Vibrations, a Malawi fusion reggae band; and the hip hop act, Real Elements. The 2006 festival is set to follow in these footsteps with some very special guests to be announced.

Festival-goers from the UK are encouraged to spend time in the country before or after the festival in order to sample some of Malawi’s many activities. With around nine national parks and 45,000 square miles of breathtakingly stunning landscape, there is so much more to Malawi than first meets the eye. Money raised through the event goes towards charitable projects in Malawi, such as the Children In The Wilderness project, a Malawian based fund set up to help children orphaned by HIV/AIDS primarily’

More details as they are announced. The festival takes place 1-3rd September 2006
www.lakeofstarsfestival.co.uk