Fans count losses following postponement of Naivasha's Nyege Nyege festival
Nyege Nyege Kenyan edition was postponed from September, 1, 2023 to November, 3, 2023.
As a way to unwind after a long week of adulting, Evans Karanja and his squad had planned a fun road trip to Naivasha with its climax set to be the Nyege Nyege Kenyan Edition that was to happen over the weekend.
Much to their shock, the highly anticipated three-day extravaganza was postponed just a day before it began with the dates being pushed from September 1 to November 3, 2023.
Its event organisers took to social media to announce the postponement just a day before it was slated to take place.
Speaking exclusively to Mtaa Wangu, the festival’s marketing manager, Leshan Simon, said the main reason for the postponement was that a small number of people bought tickets.
The Festival's marketing manager, Leshan Simon.
"Even as we've postponed the event, it is all in good faith since we want to give people only the best of the best. We'll use this period of time to pursue much more aggressive marketing tactics," Simon highlights.
When asked about the validity of the tickets for those who had bought them, Simon says the tickets will remain valid.
"For those who opt to seek a refund, kindly note that it is absolutely possible. All you have to do is send an email requesting a refund to whatever site you used to buy the tickets. After the email, you'll wait for a response alerting you that your request has been approved and money will be credited back to you," he additionally notes.
The announcement of the postponement was received with a lot of disappointment and fury with some disgruntled fans taking to their social media accounts to rant over the unfortunate turn of events.
A vexed @vee.ollah shared, "Why didn't you guys send us emails concerning this?!..I'm finding this out now!"
@cessmokeira tweeted, "Why would you postpone an event and still collect money for the tickets on the day of postponement. This is not right. I need a refund for the tickets, who will even refund the money wasted coming all the way to Naivasha."
Sharing the same sentiments of anger @afrikan.son commented, "Mkona umbwakni. Tunataka refund sasa. Some of us had booked rooms Enashipai na tukalipa. Hio pesa imechomeka."
Just like these social media users, Karanja and his squad found themselves in the same predicament having already paid for accommodation.
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"Event organisers need to make sure they announce any postponement early enough. People who attend these events come from places as far as Mombasa and even have to request official leave of absence from work. This weekend has been such a huge mess and such a big inconvenience in general," Karanja advises.
The event which is still set to take place at Savannah Park, Naivasha will be held from November 3, 2023 to November 5, 2023.