What do students, engineers, farmers, vendors, health workers, artists, policymakers, and everyday citizens have in common? They all rely on cooling — and they’re all invited to The Festival of Cooling!
Happening on the 22nd - 26th September 2025 at the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain (ACES), this one-of-a-kind festival will turn a quiet revolution into a loud celebration. Over five thrilling days, Kigali will be the epicentre of innovation, science, creativity, business, and climate action, all centred around one often overlooked hero: the cold chain.
But let’s be clear; this isn’t a conference. It’s not a trade show. And it’s definitely not boring. This is in part a science fair, part an art show, part an ideas’ marketplace, part a music fest, part a networking ground, while remaining wholly an immersive celebration of sustainable cooling, merging formal learning with informal discovery and hands-on experiences.
So, Why Does It Matter?
If your food stays fresh, or your vaccines arrive safely, or your business relies on cool storage, thank the cold chain. But the Festival of Cooling goes further. It’s about rethinking what cooling means in a fast-warming world. It’s about building smarter systems for farmers, resilient vaccine and medicine storage for clinics, greener solutions for entrepreneurs, and career-shaping moments for students. And most of all, it’s your chance to be part of this movement.
Who’s It For?
For Secondary & University Students:
Curious? Creative? Ready to build the future? This is your playground. From DIY fridges and ice cream-making to thermal imaging and tech talks, you’ll explore hands-on science and meet professionals turning cooling into careers. Whether you're into science, sustainability, tech, or creativity, this is where your journey could begin.
For Health Sector Heroes:
The cold chain saves lives daily — but how do we make it faster, smarter, and more resilient? Join the people designing tomorrow’s health systems, learn from real-world case studies, and be part of the movement to cool without compromise.
For Farmers & Agribusinesses:
This is where cold meets commerce. Learn how proper cooling can reduce your post-harvest losses, extend shelf life, improve food safety, and boost profits. Hear directly from fellow farmers who’ve made it work — and meet the people designing the tools you’ll need next.
For Startups, Innovators & Creatives:
Got an idea that could change how cooling works? This is your launchpad. Pitch your cold chain business idea to real-world investors, meet fellow creatives, showcase your cold chain photography and artwork, and join others using business and imagination to tackle climate, food, and tech challenges — one cool solution at a time.
For Policymakers & Multilateral Partners:
The future of equitable access to cooling depends on policies that work. Day 5 brings together government, academia, NGOs, and multilateral partners to shape the next frontier of cold chain investment, innovation, and integration — locally, regionally, and globally.
What Makes This a Festival?
This isn’t five days of sitting in chairs and seeing PowerPoint presentations. It’s five days of movement, conversation, discovery, and fun. Expect to:
- 🍴 Taste food preserved through the cold chain
- 🚲 Pedal a bike to chill your own drink
- 🧪 Try out cooling experiments
- 📸 Snap selfies in cold chain themed photo booths
- 🎨 Write, paint, sing, and share climate-cooling stories
- 🎤 Hear voices of people actively improving the cold chain from across the globe
- 🍦 Cool off with cool refreshments and ice cream
- 🔍 Discover cool facts about heat, energy, and innovation
Every day is themed around a different group — students, health, agriculture, startups, policy — but the festival is committed to being inclusive, everyone is welcome, and everyone will walk away inspired, informed, and fired up to act.
The Countdown Has Begun.
The Festival of Cooling is more than an event — it’s a movement. It’s the kind of place where a farmer might meet a policymaker, where a student might sketch the next big idea, and where a room full of strangers might build a cooler, fairer, healthier world. The entire ACES campus will be transformed into an interactive, high-energy experience. So, whether you’re coming to showcase your cold chain project, learn something new, connect with decision-makers, or just to experience the magic of keeping things cool — there’s a place for you at the Festival of Cooling.
Stay tuned and stay cool!
Registration info coming soon.
For inquiries, contact us at: [email protected]
Learn more at: https://cleancooling.org/news-and-events/festival-of-cooling