PHOTOS: What happens when African cultures collide over music and food at Sunday Braai

By the time I stepped onto the rooftop of Trademark Hotel, Nairobi felt like a different city below us. Up here, Nairobi had slowed down. 

The air carried the unmistakable smell of meat hitting hot grills, the bass from an Afrobeats set rolled across the pool deck, and people were already leaning into the day like it had promised them something special.

This was Sunday Braaai 6.0, and it wasn’t trying to be subtle.

The doors opened to a burst of colour and sound. The DJ was easing the crowd in with amapiano-infused Afrohouse, while clusters of people, Kenyans, Nigerians, South Africans, Zimbabweans, expats and Nairobi creatives, found their spots around high tables, the poolside and the bar. 

Some had clearly planned to be here all day. Others, like me, were still settling into the idea that Sunday could stretch from noon to 11 pm without apology.

The rooftop itself does a lot of the work. Trademark Hotel’s elevated deck gives you a clean, almost cinematic view of the city’s greenery and the late-afternoon sun bouncing off glass and water.

It’s polished but not stiff, the kind of space where sneakers and linen shirts feel just as welcome as sundresses and shades.

Then there was the food. If you came hungry, you came prepared.

The tables were busy from early on, with grills loaded with beef, chicken, sausages and skewers, tended by chefs who looked like they were enjoying themselves as much as the crowd. 

Plates of small chops moved quickly,  smoky, juicy, slightly messy in the way good braai should be. 

You could taste the Southern African influence in the seasoning and the confidence of the grilling, while West African flavours crept in through sauces, sides and spice.

Cold drinks were never far away. Bottles and glasses clinked their way from the bar to tables, and cocktails sweated gently in the afternoon heat. 

As the day progressed, the music shifted gears. DJs rotated, and with each change came a new energy. 

One moment it was Afrobeats anthems pulling people to the dancefloor, the next it was amapiano slowing things down into a groove that felt almost meditative. 

East African sounds threaded through it all, grounding the experience in Nairobi even as the festival travelled across the continent sonically.

By evening, the rooftop was full. Not uncomfortable, but alive. Conversations overlapped. People danced in small circles. 

Others leaned against the glass railings, phones out, recording the moment the sun dipped low enough to turn the sky orange. 

You could tell who were first-timers and who had been here before. The regulars moved with ease, greeting familiar faces, already talking about previous editions and what this one was doing better.

What stood out most was the mix. Sunday Braaai isn’t just about food or music; it’s about cultural proximity. 

Fashion dotted the space, subtle but intentional reminders that this was a celebration, not just a party. 

You could go from a conversation about Nairobi nightlife to one about Lagos street food or Joburg club culture without it feeling forced.

As evening crept in, the lights softened, the music grew bolder, and the crowd leaned fully into the night. 

The DJs dropped track after track that landed perfectly, and the dancefloor responded in kind. Shoes came off. Jackets disappeared. Time stopped being something anyone checked.

One of the day’s standout moments came with the surprise performance by Jovi, Cameroon’s genre-bending rapper and producer, whose set lifted Sunday Braaai from a well-curated rooftop festival into something closer to a pan-African moment.

 When he took the mic, the crowd tightened instinctively, drawn in by his gritty delivery and sharp lyricism that cut clean through the DJ-led flow of the afternoon.

By the time I left, close to nightfall, the rooftop was still buzzing. The braai smoke still curled into the air. The music was still pulling people closer. And Nairobi, somewhere below, was still trying to keep up.

Sunday Braai isn’t just something you attend. It’s something you sink into.

If you’re looking for a Sunday that feeds you, literally and culturally, this might just be one of Nairobi’s best answers.