The Bagamoyo College of Arts — Chuo cha Sanaa, now TaSUBa (Taasisi ya Sanaa na Utamaduni Bagamoyo) — is Tanzania's national institution for the performing arts. Founded in 1981, it trains musicians, dancers, painters, and theatre-makers from across the country and runs a steady programme of public performances on its small campus south of the town centre.
The annual Bagamoyo Festival, held over a week in late September, fills the town with drummers and dancers from across East Africa — it is the cultural highlight of the year and worth planning a trip around. Outside the festival, smaller performances run most weekends. Drop in at the campus to check the programme, or ask at any of the bigger hotels in town.