--- title: Reach for the Stars in Malawi description: It isn't in the premier league of music festivals, but then that's probably why the annual Lake of Stars, www.lakeofstars.org, held on the palm-fringed beaches... canonical: https://time.com/archive/6938112/reach-for-the-stars-in-malawi/ author: Cindy-Lou Dale article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2009-09-23T04:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-22T07:27:57.688Z og:title: Reach for the Stars in Malawi og:description: It isn't in the premier league of music festivals, but then that's probably why the annual Lake of Stars, www.lakeofstars.org, held on the palm-fringed beaches... og:url: https://time.com/archive/6938112/reach-for-the-stars-in-malawi/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta26fb21d0c6fd55d/698a4f4ab21a9cac0450946b/360_malawi_1005.jpg?branch=production&width=360&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 360 og:image:height: 203 og:image:alt: 360_malawi_1005.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Reach for the Stars in Malawi twitter:description: It isn't in the premier league of music festivals, but then that's probably why the annual Lake of Stars, www.lakeofstars.org, held on the palm-fringed beaches... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta26fb21d0c6fd55d/698a4f4ab21a9cac0450946b/360_malawi_1005.jpg?branch=production&width=360&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Reach for the Stars in Malawi > Sponsored content. 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Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is included in a TIME print and digital subscription? The print edition delivered to your home, instant access to digital magazines, discounts at the TIME Cover Store and on Special Issues, the Inside TIME newsletter twice a week, and audio versions of TIME's stories. It is from $29 for one year or $49 for two years at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### What is the difference between TIME's digital and print plans? Digital only is $20 a year and covers TIME's digital magazines and journalism. Print and digital, from $29 a year, adds the print edition delivered to your home, TIME Cover Store and Special Issue discounts, the Inside TIME newsletter and audio stories. #### Is TIME a reliable news source? TIME is a general-interest news organization founded in 1923. Its journalism is reported and edited by a professional newsroom led by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs, with named correspondents on politics, climate, health, technology and culture. It reaches 1 million US print subscribers and 1.15 million globally, plus more than 1.1 million newsletter readers. #### How do I subscribe to TIME magazine? Subscriptions are at time.com/subscribe-agent. Choose digital only at $20 a year, or print and digital from $29 a year or $49 for two years. TIME also publishes seven free email newsletters at time.com/newsletters, which do not require a subscription. #### Can I cancel a TIME subscription? Yes. TIME states that subscriptions can be cancelled at any time. #### Does TIME have free newsletters? Yes. TIME publishes seven free email newsletters reaching more than 1.1 million readers, covering daily news, Washington politics, health, AI, climate and energy, culture, and the newsroom itself. They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=74218707-d812-4858-a7b1-7e4145c7e20d&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=74218707-d812-4858-a7b1-7e4145c7e20d&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) by [Cindy-Lou Dale](https://time.com/author/cindy-lou-dale/) Sep 23, 2009 4:00 AM UTC  Small is beautiful Lake of Stars is known for its conviviality and intimacy Small is beautiful Lake of Stars is known for its conviviality and intimacy Christopher Pillitz / Ubuntu by [Cindy-Lou Dale](https://time.com/author/cindy-lou-dale/) Sep 23, 2009 4:00 AM UTC It isn’t in the premier league of music festivals, but then that’s probably why the annual Lake of Stars, [www.lakeofstars.org](https://www.lakeofstars.org/), held on the palm-fringed beaches of Lake Malawi, is so darned enjoyable. A world away from muddy fields and hour-long queues for overpriced fast food, the five-year-old Lake of Stars offers a magical combination of world and African music, top international DJs, scenic beauty, philanthropy (portions of festival proceeds are used to fund development projects in the immediate area) and intimacy — the crowd typically numbers just 3,000 lucky travelers, expats and locals. This year’s event takes place Oct. 15-18 on Lake Malawi’s southern shores, at Nkopola Lodge in Mangochi, a three-hour drive from Lilongwe, the capital. Headlining are English indie band the Maccabees, while other acts on the roster include DJ Nihal, hip-hop artist Sway DaSafo and Malawi’s home-grown reggae band, the Black Missionaries. A detachment from the U.K.’s National Young Volunteers Service — a personal-development and service organization for young people — keeps things running smoothly over the course of the event. [(See Time.com/Travel for city guides, stories and advice.)](https://www.time.com/time/travel) The organizers lay on coach transport from the airport, but if you’re planning some postfestival touring it might be a good idea to hire a car: Sputnik Car Hire, [www. sputnik-car-hire.mw](https://www.sputnik-car-hire.mw/), offers reasonable rates. With music still ringing in your ears, you can drive out to somewhere like Cape Maclear, about 60 miles (100 km) away from Mangochi. There, Kayak Africa, [www.kayakafrica.net](https://www.kayakafrica.net/), will ferry you across to either Mumbo Island or Domwe Island and their superb snorkeling or diving. Their self-catering, fully furnished safari-tent accommodations are a far cry from camping in the soggy fields of Glastonbury. [See Time.com/Travel for city guides, stories and advice.](https://www.time.com/time/travel) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/6938112/reach-for-the-stars-in-malawi/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/6938112/reach-for-the-stars-in-malawi/"},"headline":"Reach for the Stars in Malawi","datePublished":"2009-09-23T04:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-22T07:27:57.688Z","description":"It isn't in the premier league of music festivals, but then that's probably why the annual Lake of Stars, www.lakeofstars.org, held on the palm-fringed beaches...","url":"https://time.com/archive/6938112/reach-for-the-stars-in-malawi/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta26fb21d0c6fd55d/698a4f4ab21a9cac0450946b/360_malawi_1005.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cindy-Lou Dale","url":"https://time.com/author/cindy-lou-dale/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta26fb21d0c6fd55d/698a4f4ab21a9cac0450946b/360_malawi_1005.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"360_malawi_1005.jpg","caption":"Small is beautiful Lake of Stars is known for its conviviality and intimacy","creditText":"Christopher Pillitz / Ubuntu","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/archive/6938112/reach-for-the-stars-in-malawi/","name":"Reach for the Stars in Malawi"}}]}] ```