Courtesy Jean Jameson/Lake of Stars Festival
The annual music event Lake of Stars takes place at the end of September and attracts artists and audiences from around the world. In 2015, a total of 79 Malawian and international artists performed at the lakeside stage, attracting more than 4000 visitors, the organizers say.

Courtesy Jean Jameson/Lake of Stars Festival
The event generated almost $1.5 million for the country's economy last year, according to the organizers.
MUJAHID SAFODIEN/AFP/Getty
Since the event first took off in 2004, Jazz on the Rocks has seen both South African and international musicians play jazz at various beach locations around South Africa's coast in February and March. Pictured: British saxophone player Andrew Young performs during this year's festival at Tities Bay in Paternoster.

GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
One of the largest jazz festivals in the world, the annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival takes place on the last weekend in March or the first in April. Pictured: South African jazz artist Marcus Wyatt plays the horn at the 2010 festival.
RODGER BOSCH/AFP/Getty
Last year it attracted more than 37,000 jazz fans from around the world with a lineup of 40 artists who perform on five different stages over two days at the city's International Convention Centre. The festival's programming is known for it's 50/50 approach, which ensures half of the artists are from South Africa and the other half are international. Pictured: South African singer and songwriter, Zahara, performs at the 2012 event.
Courtesy Bushfire Festival
Held at the end of May, Swaziland's largest music and arts festival attracts artists and visitors from home and afar.
ADRIEN BARBIER/AFP/Getty
This year 26,000 people from more than 60 countries visited the event over three days, which takes place in Malkern's Valley, in the Swaziland countryside.
ADRIEN BARBIER/AFP/Getty
It's not just music that attracts the festival goers. Visitors can camp on the grounds or try food from Asia, Europe and Swaziland at the Global Food Village. The festival's crafts and design market is popular too and generated more than $50,000 in sales this year, according to the organizers.
ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP/Getty
Short for Market For African Performing Arts, MASA is an annual event held in March in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and celebrates African performing arts.
Pictured: Dance company Les Clameurs Des Arenes from Burkina Faso perform at the 2015 festival.
ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP/Getty
The festival is held at the French Institute in Abidjan and is partly funded by the International Organization of la Francophonie and the country's Ministry of Culture and Francophonie, who together provide 80% of the festival budget, according to the organizers.
Courtesy Felabration / DAMILOLA Damisa
Felabration is a seven-day cultural festival which includes photography exhibitions, symposiums, film screenings and music performances by both Nigerian and foreign artists. Pictured: The Chilean band Newen Afrobeat performs at this year's festival.
Courtesy Felabration / DAMILOLA Damisa
Most events take place at the New Africa Shrine in Ikeja, Lagos in October. The festival is free, although visitors may pay donations.
FADEL SENNA/AFP/Getty Images
The annual Mawazine World Music Festival festival takes place in Rabat, Morocco, for eight days in May attracts daily audiences well in excess of 100,000, according to the organizers, with this year's festival seeing 2.6 million visitors in total.
Pictured: U.S. singer Chris Brown performs during this year's event.
FADEL SENNA/AFP/Getty
It is an important source of business for shops, hotels and restaurants nearby. Retail, catering and transport sectors experience a growth of up to 30% during the festival and hotels see a 22% growth in turnover, according to the organizers.
Pictured: Jamaican singer Shaggy performs at the festival in 2015.
Courtesy Mawazine / Sife ELAMINE
Over the years, the event has hosted world stars such as Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Kanye West and Justin Timberlake, pictured.

Story highlights

Africa's festival market is booming

In 2015 the total contribution of travel and tourism in Africa was $180.0bn

The Lake of the Stars Festival in Malawi generates over $1 million annually

CNN  — 

From a stage among the palm trees on the northern shore of Lake Malawi to one of the largest jazz events in the world, Africa is home to some of the world’s greatest festivals.

Each year, locals and tourists from neighboring countries and further afield flock to events across the continent. This means good times for performers, visitors and local businesses.

Among the largest is Morocco’s Mawazine, which, according to the organizers, attracted more than 2.6 million visitors this year.

Courtesy Mawazine / Sife ELAMINE
Justin Timberlake performs at Mawazine in 2014

Here, local businesses talk of the ‘Mawazine Effect’, with hotels experiencing an average growth in turnover of 22% during the festival.

Festivals mean big business for locals

David Scowsill, President and CEO, World Travel and Tourism Council says large events like music festivals are an important income stream for local communities and the host countries.

“Events bring people together, get infrastructure built, create jobs and help galvanize communities into action around a common purpose, and if executed rightly, local businesses are at the center of the creation of these types of events.”

00:57 - Source: CNN
The biggest and best musical festivals in Africa

They also create jobs.

“In Africa the total contribution of travel and tourism in 2015 was $180.0bn, which made up 8.1% of GDP, and the sector supported 7.2% of total employment, which is 22 million jobs,” Scowsill says.

In Malawi the annual Lake of the Stars Festival will kick off this month – an event that generates over $1 million for the Malawian economy every year, according to the organizers.

Improving the image of the continent

Will Jameson, founder and director of the festival, says the event attracts visitors from all over the world and helps raise the the country’s profile as a travel destination. Among last year’s festival goers, an impressive 34% had traveled from outside Malawi.

“The festival attracts a strong international audience who combine their attendance at the festival with a visit to other destinations in Malawi,” Jameson says.

It's about to get much easier to find a hotel in Africa

Scowsill says festivals can provide an alternative to other conventional tourist attractions.

“To become and remain an attractive tourist destination, it is important for the place to continue to offer travelers a reason to visit and come back. Festivals, like other big events, are a way for a destination to achieve that, especially if it perhaps lacks other natural or constructed attractions.”

Too far away to visit an African festival this year? Our image gallery above will get you to some of the continent’s best festivals in a click.