Kadoma: Music, Pantomime and Steam Locomotives

Kadoma can be explored through specific cultural themes: a music festival, early pantomimes and a centre with steam locomotives. These themes offer different starting points for planning your trip—from local creativity to a historical tradition and technical interests. First consider whether Kadoma’s own attractions will be the main focus of your stay, or whether you also want to include the wider destination of Mashonaland West.

Music festival and the history of pantomime

The Kadoma Music Festival celebrates local talent, creativity and culture. It also supports small businesses. The festival therefore focuses both on cultural expression and on supporting small enterprises. If you want to plan your trip around a festival, check the specific event dates in advance. This lets you base your plans on an actual date rather than assume one.

Another cultural thread leads to the history of pantomime in Kadoma. Gordon Willis produced early pantomimes there; these productions established an annual pantomime tradition. Alongside the festival, this gives the city its own distinctive cultural history. These are two different points of interest to consider when planning your trip: the festival, with its focus on local talent and creativity, and the pantomimes as part of the town’s cultural past.

Three steam locomotives at the Kadoma Steam Centre

The Kadoma Steam Centre has three steam locomotives. This specific connection to steam engines and technology offers a different focus from the music festival and the history of pantomime. If you want to include the centre in your visit, check current access arrangements in advance. Together with the cultural themes, it provides a clearly defined starting point for deciding which interests you want to shape your time in Kadoma.

Mashonaland West as a regional perspective

At the wider destination level, Mashonaland West offers additional event themes. The province hosts the Nyaminyami Festival, the Lake Kariba Marathon, the Odsey Kadoma Festival and the Korekore Cultural Festival. These events offer different starting points for regional trip planning. If an event will determine your travel dates, check the specific date before planning your trip around it.

The province’s parks offer another way to explore Mashonaland West. Mana Pools National Park is a 219,600-hectare wildlife conservation area and national park in the Hurungwe District of the province. Manyame, Mhondoro-Ngezi and Mazvikadei are also counted among the recreational parks in Mashonaland West. This gives you several named park destinations to consider for regional planning, alongside the events.

When choosing where to stay, it helps to first decide on your planned focus: Kadoma’s cultural attractions, or a trip that takes Mashonaland West into account as a wider destination. If Kadoma is your main focus, you can search for a holiday rental there. For broader trip plans, it is worth checking the exact location of your preferred accommodation against the destinations and routes you actually plan to visit.

Discover more destinations: Redcliff, Marondera, Hwange, Chiredzi, Zvishavane, Nyanga, Mutare, Gweru.

For the wider travel overview: Zimbabwe.