THE CHIMANIMANI Arts Festival has become a much-anticipated local event, and one that is gaining an international following, too.

First organised in 1998 by local residents as an enjoyable celebration of Zimbabwean performing arts. Volunteers built a big wooden stage at the apex of the village green and invited musicians and performers from all over Zimbabwe. And a new tradition was born....

Today the Festival, true to its roots, remains free-to-audience, joyful and harmonious. But it now also involves the community in year-round cultural development through the Festival Trust.
The festival is a two-day event held in Chimanimani on the village green every April, is free and is attended by large crowds up to 7000 people per day. It attracts audiences mainly from the Manicaland Province, which includes the Chimanimani District.The annual Arts Festival creates a chance for everyone to participate culturally, and makes positive and needed contributions to the uplifting of spirits and the economy of the rural community. The event provides a platform for community based arts and crafts as well as exposing the audience to a wider scope of arts and crafts from outside the district. The festival also provides an opportunity for the local community to sell their arts, crafts, home produce and prepared food.

The success of the past five festivals has contributed towards peace and unity within the district. The festival has always created an atmosphere of peaceful togetherness in the midst of political conflict and economic hardships. The appreciation of these joyful events gave evidence that such moments, shared by crowds of great numbers, are rare in our country. The Chimanimani Arts Festival is the only one of its kind that has brought famous and popular artists together with local talent in a rural community setting.

By extending the reach and scope of our activities through the Trust, we are now linking the Chimanimani Arts Festival to everyday life issues of the rural people.