Is Eldoret threatening Nakuru's 'Vegas' title?
Inside Space Next Door in Nakuru city
For the longest time, Nakuru, has held the crown to being Rift Valley's top nightlife spot, hence the nickname NaxVegas.
However, it seems Eldoret is slowly becoming the preferred sherehe town in Rift Valley threatening Nakuru’s 'Vegas' status, with the town recently holding some of the biggest events such as Shin City and Love and Vibes.
About a week ago, Abel Mutua, known by his fans as Mkurugenzi or Mkuruu also announced that his highly acclaimed show Jyuuce Party will be held in Eldoret on June 15, bypassing Nakuru.
To better understand why this is the case, I sought out event organizers Sammy Gito and Big Ben.
Opening up the conversation, Sammy shares, "One of the most obvious reasons why Eldy is becoming the 'It' town would be the higher spending power given the high disposable income its residents have."
Sammy Gito, an events organizer based in Nakuru city.
The second thing the organizer pointed out is the presence of very many universities.
"Another thing that sets Eldy apart from Naks is the high number of universities close to the town centre. This makes it easier for students to party as much as they want, thus contributing to Eldys ever lively clubbing scene."
Thirdly, Sammy Gito notes that since lockdown, there's been a great shift in Nakuru's party culture where people start drinking at locals and only show up to nightclubs for a few hours before heading back home.
Also chiming in on this discussion, Naxouse co-director Big Ben notes that another thing that has worked to Eldy's favour is the availability of variety.
Ben Muraguri a.k.a Big Ben is the co founder of Naxouse Entertainment.
He notes, "It’s so easy to get tired of the clubbing scene in Nakuru due to the limited amount of club options."
"As a remedy to Nakuru's slowly dying party scene, I suggest the curation of events directed towards specific groups of revellers such as what Naxouse has done or even the Oldies & Soul event as opposed to sticking to general clubbing."
Just like Big Ben, Sammy also thinks there's still hope for the retention of the Vegas title.
Sammy shares that a lot of the work to be put in, is mostly on club owners who he advises to invest in club promotion and event organizers.
"Most club owners don't know the value event organizers can offer them with a lot of them not being willing to pay us a decent amount," Sammy Gito closes off.
What are your thoughts? Do you think NaxVegas can reclaim its party scene title?