Dumelang Batswana betsho! The Batswana in Los Angeles, California were excited to welcome you all to our beautiful city for 57th celebration of Botswana's independence. We have created event pages in the Batswana Community In U.S.A and Batswana in the USA (BaUSA) Facebook groups for updates, questions, and discussions. This website page complemented those event pages by being a one-stop-shop for all the logistical details to help attendees with planning. Anything from flight details to accommodation options and everything in between. Questions were posted in the Facebook event pages. 

About the Event

We are excited to host the California celebration of Botswana's 57th year of independence. The celebration will feature numerous events with the main celebration being on September 30th in Torrance. For the exact address, please RSVP by emailing ramarea@live.com.

Tentative Schedule

The schedule below is tentative and will be finalized closer to the event. Feel free to send suggestions to ramarea@live.com. 

(Please note: Any links to events and event tickets should not be taken as a guarantee of any information on those sites. It is a peer recommendation of events we will be going to hosted by our friends in the city.)

Thursday 28 September 2023

• Recommended arrival into LA.

• Club Event: [Ticket details coming soon]

Friday 29 September 2023

• Site seeing for those new in town. Details coming soon! (RSVP for event to ramarea@live.com.)

• Preparations for the next day (if you would like to help chop veggies and prep, please email ramarea@live.com) 

• Club Event: R&B, Dancehall, & Afrobeats at Revel Lounge Hollywood (Free with RSVP before 11pm https://www.eventbrite.com/e/revel-lounge-hollywood-rb-dancehall-afrobeats-free-guest-list-tickets-680658135807?aff=ebdsoporgprofile make sure to select 9.29.2023 as the date) (1710 North Las Palmas Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028)

Saturday 30 September 2023 --- Main Celebration in Torrance, CA

(RSVP and send suggestions or dietary restrictions to ramarea@live.com) 

• Setswana games --- Suggestions welcome 

• Main feast

  • Food Menu: Magwinya, Samp, Pap, bogobe, rice, chakalaka, morogo, goat seswaa, chicken, braai'd beef, goat serobe, sebete.

  • Drinks: Bring Your Own Beverage

• Beach in the late afternoon until sunset

• Club outing: [Ticket details coming soon]

• After hours (2-6AM): Afro Dark After Hours (111 W 17th St, Los Angeles, CA 90015) (No tickets -- cover charged at the door)

Sunday 1 October 2023

• Leftovers brunch in South LA (RSVP to ramarea@live.com) 

• Naija Independence Day Party: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/naija-day-party-nigerian-independence-celebration-tickets-710507305477 (Elevate Lounge, 21st floor @ 811 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90017)

• Optional Night Event: Dragonfly [Ticket details coming soon]

• Recommended departure from LA

Flying into Los Angeles

The greater Los Angeles area has numerous airports you could fly into: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Long Beach Airport (LGB), John Wayne Airport (SNA), Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), and Ontario Airport (ONT). Once we finalize details regarding the event venue, we will update this list with the distance of each airport from the venue. All of these airports are served by most if not all of the major airlines in the US. Please note if flying directly from outside the US, we recommend flying into LAX or SNA. 

You may book your flights using an online travel agency (or flight aggregator) such as Skyscanner, Kayak, Google Flights OR directly with your airline of choice. Some of the domestic airlines serving the greater Los Angeles area include United, Delta, Southwest, Alaska, Jetblue, American, Allegiant, Frontier, Spirit, Sun Country Airlines, and more. 

Lodging in Los Angeles

The independence day festivities will NOT be held at a central location. Events will be spread out in the South Bay, South LA, Hollywood, and West LA. Los Angeles offers numerous lodging options including hotels, Airbnb, VRBO, and more. 

Getting Around Los Angeles

We recommend renting a car from the airport--especially if interested in private exploration of Los Angeles in between the festivities. Uber and Lyft are also available in the city at a non-prohibitive cost, especially when shared with others.

The public transportation system in Los Angeles leaves a lot to be desired. However, there are some train and bus lines for those who may prefer this mode of transportation. Specific transit instructions for the different venues will be provided soon from major parts of LA.