Haus of Kühl Made Its Nairobi Debut and the City Showed Up for Every Bit of It

Nairobi had been waiting for a night like this, and on Saturday, 26 September 2026, Haus of Kühl delivered it. Jägermeister's experiential cultural platform made its East African debut at Sk8City, transforming the venue into a multi-dimensional world of music, dance, fashion, art and nightlife that ran from early evening well into the night. For a city with a creative pulse as strong as Nairobi's, the fit was immediate.

Haus of Kühl, which translates from German as House of Cool, first launched in South Africa in 2023 and has since toured Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. The Nairobi edition was its first step into East Africa, and if the energy inside Sk8City was any indication, it will not be the last.

A Lineup That Represented the Full Range of Nairobi's Sound

The roster for the night was genuinely impressive in its breadth. South African acts KMAT and MfanaTouchLine headlined the international contingent, bringing their sounds into a venue already buzzing with Nairobi energy. Hosts Mariah and Sameer Bry kept the experience moving across multiple stages, with soulful singer Iyanah and dancers Ian Tico and Thee Iconic among the standout Kenyan performers on the bill.

The DJ roster stretched across more than 30 names and collectives, each representing a different corner of Nairobi's nightlife and creative ecosystem: Basthma, Burugu, Calvin The Curator, Coco Kahi, DJ Lyta, DJ Mani, DJ Rayma, Hiribae, Jayeda, JM1, Kamz, Kaneda, Kiptala, Kurtiss E, Love, Mani, Monzo, Mura, Mtu Solo, Mr. Arkiteck, N!k, Njeri wa Babaa and Santa Currie, Safari Oontz Collective, Selekta V, Selo, Shi, Sir M and Mista C, Suraj, The Vibe Initiator, Tinashe The DJ, Wembe Waves and Zhai. Together they made the case, convincingly, for the diversity and depth of what Nairobi's creative scene actually sounds like when it is given the right platform.

Multiple Worlds, One Venue

What set Haus of Kühl apart from a standard club night was the deliberate layering of experiences across the space. The Main Stage carried the headline energy. The Dance Stage ran hotter and rawer, dedicated to underground sounds and the subcultures pushing Nairobi's nightlife forward. 

The Silent Disco, curated by Studio Can-V, offered a different kind of discovery entirely, with emerging DJs from across the Studio Can-V network going head to head in a format that rewarded curiosity and attention.

Away from the dancefloor, the Manifest Speakeasy created an intimate retreat inspired by Jägermeister Manifest, the brand's sipping expression aged in extra oak barrels with a unique five-maceration process. Guests could slow down, settle in and explore the space at their own pace, a deliberate counterpoint to the energy elsewhere in the venue.

The Meister Market brought fashion and art into the night in a way that felt genuinely integrated rather than decorative. Nairobi streetwear brands Have A Good Trip, Makasi Studios and Pe$os anchored the space, with limited-edition Jägermeister merchandise collaborations available alongside their own work. 

The Gaming Zone added another dimension, with old school arcade and console games pulling guests into a different kind of entertainment entirely, complete with prizes for those willing to compete.

Safety and wellbeing were also built into the experience through the SafeNow Zone, a dedicated calm space offering phone charging, free Wi-Fi, water and headsets playing ambient soundscapes, alongside the SafeNow app which enabled quick alerts to trusted contacts. It was a thoughtful addition that reflected Jägermeister's commitment to responsible enjoyment and ensured every guest had a place to reset before heading back into the action.

What the Night Meant for Nairobi

Ephraim Manana, Senior Culture and Experiential Marketing Manager for Jägermeister in the Middle East and Africa region, reflected on the debut with visible enthusiasm. 

"Bringing Haus of Kühl to Nairobi for the first time has been an incredible experience for us. Nairobi has such a powerful creative pulse and the audience really represented this. We created a platform where different worlds of culture collided, from music, dance, fashion, art, discovery and community, and what stood out was the fantastic range of talent from Kenya and South Africa."

He added: "Haus of Kühl is about creating spaces where established and emerging creatives can share the same platform, and Nairobi delivered that spirit in a big way."

That is precisely what the night was. Not a brand activation dressed up as a cultural event, but a genuinely immersive experience that took Nairobi's creative community seriously and gave it a stage equal to the talent. From the dancefloor to the fashion market, from the speakeasy to the silent disco, Haus of Kühl captured what Jägermeister calls its Anything But Ordinary spirit, and Nairobi answered in kind.