Nine Ethnic Groups. One Nation. What I Discovered at The Biggest Eritrea Festival was Incredible! 4K

I had so much worries before I travel to Eritrea. Not much information online, mostly are bad news, something like North Korea of Africa. I was questioning myself if I should start my Africa Trip with Eritrea instead of some ' easier' country. To begin with, I was in Spain for during the World Cup and had so fun supporting Spain every match until they won the Championship. I had a chance to celebrate with the winning team in Madrid before leaving for Africa. I did not have the physical visa, only a piece of paper online like a 'permission to visit'. My total flight was about 25 hours, from Madrid to Istanbul, then Istanbul to Jeddah before arriving Asmara. Flynas in Jeddah gave me a hard time on the 'permission paper', block me from boarding until last minute. Only 10 more minutes before the flight takeoff, the officer finally let me board the flight, not a very good experience with them. After arriving Asmara, I saw a lot of people processing their paperworks or visa, mostly from Sudan. I waited for a quite long and I was the last passenger to get visa. Luckily everything goes well! The first thing I need to do is to get accomodation. I am not able to book anything online but to knock each hotel door to see if there is room available. This is the week of The Biggest Festival in Eritrea, almost all the hotel are fully booked, except those super expensive one like USD$150 to USD$200 a night. Finally I settle with budget hotel called Pension, almost like Motel 6 and you can see it in the video. The main porpose of me visiting Eritrea is to attend The National Festival at Asmara Expo — one of Eritrea’s biggest cultural celebrations! What happens when Eritrea’s 9-Ethnic groups come together to celebrate their culture, traditions, food, music, and identity. I went inside the Eritrean National Festival in Asmara to experience it for myself! I explore the colorful cultural dance stage, the modern music performances, traditional clothing, local food stalls, agricultural exhibitions, and cultural displays representing Eritrea’s diverse communities. WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER IN THIS VIDEO: . The 9-Ethnic groups of Eritrea and their unique cultures . Traditional Eritrean cultural dances and performances . Modern Eritrean music and live singing . Traditional clothing, cultural identity and ethnic traditions . Eritrean food, local dishes and food stalls . Agriculture, marine resource, regional products and development exhibitions . The meaning of the Eritrea Flag . Children playground. Teenager basketball. . Why international travelers should consider visiting Eritrea? THE HISTORY BEHIND THE FESTIVAL The festival has roots in Eritrea’s liberation struggle and the cultural gatherings organized by Eritreans abroad. The Bologna festival tradition dates back to the 1970s, while the national festival in Asmara developed after independence. Today, it brings together Eritrea’s 9-Ethnic groups and 6 administrative regions in a celebration of cultural diversity and national identity. Eritrean official reporting stated that approximately 500,000 people attended the 2025 National Festival. WHY SHOULD YOU VISIT? For travelers interested in African culture, history, traditional clothing, music, local food, and authentic cultural experiences, the festival offers an opportunity to discover several aspects of Eritrean life in one location. Date: July 18 to 26, 2026 (2027 TBA) Time: 9am to 11pm Location: Asmara Expo, Asmara, Eritrea Entrance Ticket: $5 Nakfa= USD$0.33 *I went 6 times in total (2 times on Saturday) If you enjoy discovering African cultures, hidden travel destinations, traditional food and real experiences from across the continent, SUBSCRIBE and join me on the next journey! Feel free to ask question and I will be happy to share info & tips! #vlog #Eritrea #EritreanFestival #Asmara #EritreaTravel #AfricanCulture #EritreanCulture #AsmaraExpo #TravelAfrica #EritreanFood #CulturalFestival #Travel #travelVlog #solotravel #solofemaletraveler #worldtravel #traveltheworld #adventure #viral *YouTube Settings: (1) YouTube has "Auto Caption" in English, Chinese, Arabic, German++ Please click on Setting on the 'Top Right' corner. (2) This video is 4K but it doesn't show on TV. Go to Settings, change 'Video Quality' to 'Higher Quality'.