Watoto Church has officially launched the 2025 Christmas Cantata at Watoto Church Downtown, marking a big and exciting step for the annual production. This year’s Cantata, themed “Son of God,” will run from 17 to 22 December 2025 and will be held at Old Kampala Senior Secondary School. The new venue was chosen to accommodate the growing number of people who attend the show every year.
For 40 years, the Cantata has taken place at Watoto Church Downtown. But as Kampala has grown and more people want to attend, the venue has become too small. The Downtown Hall seats only about 1,200 people, and many have missed the show in previous years because it quickly fills up.
This year, the production will be held outdoors for the first time, giving the audience a new and exciting experience. Moving the Cantata to Old Kampala Senior Secondary School will allow more than 50,000 people to watch and enjoy the production in a lively and festive environment.
The Christmas Cantata is a special production that brings together music, dance, drama, audio-visual effects, and well-loved Christmas songs to tell the story of Jesus and share the message of God’s love. This year’s show features over 1,000 talented performers and crew.
At the launch event, Pastor Edward Mwesigye, Pastoral Team Leader at Watoto Church, shared that the Cantata has been staged for about 40 years. He described it as a production filled with dance, drama, and beautiful music that retells the nativity story of the birth of Jesus Christ. He said the main goal is to share “God’s redeeming love for humanity.” Pastor Mwesigye also noted that the event is a gift to the wider community and will remain free for everyone to attend.
He also announced an exciting new activity: The City’s Carols Night on Wednesday, 17 December 2025, starting at 8:00pm. This will be a big Christmas carols service with many churches joining together. It will include the lighting of what is expected to be Africa’s tallest Christmas tree. From 19 to 22 December, the main Cantata show “Son of God” will run every evening at 8:00pm.
Pastor Graham Tugume, Pastor for Worship Arts at Watoto Church, explained that the Cantata continues to attract interest because of its creativity and the many young people involved. He said the programme helps young performers grow in music, acting, and stage production.
He added, “We pledge total safety for everyone who will be attending,” and noted that money collected through the offertory will go towards supporting vulnerable children.
