More than 5,000 adolescent girls yesterday gathered at the lakeside city of Kisumu for the second local edition of SKY FEST 2026.

Full of energy and unshakeable sisterhood, the festival exhibited that empowerment isn’t just a buzzword, it’s a living, breathing movement.

Under this year’s rallying cry, “Peace Over Pressure #Najijua,” the festival created a vibrant, safe oasis for girls aged 12 to 19.

The goal of the festival was to encourage young women to choose calm confidence and self-belief over negative peer influence and societal pressures.

The Kisumu edition came after the Nairobi festival held earlier at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, which drew over 7,000 attendees.

Svetlana Polikarpova, the Director of the SKY Girls Kenya Initiative, noted that the rapid growth of the festival reflects an increasing need for safe spaces where young women feel seen and supported.

“We are celebrating the girls and at the same time encouraging them to resist pressure and take full control of themselves,” she mentioned.

Since launching SKY in Kisumu in 2024, the community response has been staggering, with over 71 percent of local girls now actively interacting with the movement.

Ms Polikarpova also expressed pride in the energy and openness of the Kisumu youth, noting that the festival is ultimately about creating a joyful space where girls can celebrate sisterhood and confidently choose their own health and future.

“What makes SKY FEST so uniquely magnetic is that the girls themselves pull the strings. Through a unique co-creation model, the attendees nominate the youth entertainers and creators they actually connect with.”

This year’s lineup featured heavy hitters like Tipsee Gee, TikTok sensations Collo Blue and Pricky, and the dynamic beats of DJs Trixy and Dimore.

To ensure the festival remains a true haven, every single performer is strictly vetted against SKY’s rigorous safeguarding and conduct standards before ever hitting the stage.

Research consistently shows that adolescent girls face intense, growing pressure regarding identity, relationships, and risky behaviors, with peer pressure identified as a major driver for early sexual debut and tobacco uptake.

What began in Kenya back in 2020 as a targeted girl empowerment and tobacco prevention initiative has since evolved into a holistic, nationwide youth movement.

Today, they use entertainment, storytelling, magazines, and digital content to tackle everything from pregnancy and HIV prevention to HPV vaccination awareness and gender equality.

The data proves that this creative approach is working.

The initiative boasts remarkable, measurable behavior changes among the girls it reaches. Today, 62 percent of SKY Girls report that they can confidently resist peer pressure, there has been a massive 54 percent decrease in adolescent cigarette usage, and the program has driven a 67 percent increase in a girl’s ability to stand up for herself.

Because of these real-world results, the movement has earned deep trust from those who matter most: parents, schools, and communities. Backed by active partnerships with both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health, SKY FEST has transitioned from a highly anticipated event into a vital pillar of national adolescent psychosocial support.