The 2026 Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion, Event A, Friday Opening Night
May 22 @ 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Dear our Tanzanian friends, families, colleagues and affiliates in the US:
Welcome to our 2026 Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion! Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion is an exclusive 3-day sporting, social, business, and a networking event for Tanzanians in the US. In 2026, it will be held on the Memorial Day Holiday Weekend from Friday, May 22, 2026, until Monday, May 25, 2026, in the beautiful city of Columbus, Ohio.
Our first event, Event A, Friday Opening Night, is a relaxed, casual, celebratory kick-off event to welcome guests before the weekend’s bigger activities. The venue for The Friday Opening Night is Renaissance Columbus Westerville-Polaris Hotel, 409 Altair Parkway, Westerville, OH 43082.
What is the mission, vision and purpose of Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion?
Our mission is to promote health, fitness, wellness, leadership, teamwork, unity, peace and collaboration among Tanzanians in the USA. The event is US-based. It is a four-team Tanzanian men’s basketball tournament championship, and a two-team Tanzanian women’s basketball tournament championship.
Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion is a reunion event for Tanzanians in the US. It holds various social, business, and networking events. Old and new Tanzanian friends, families, colleagues and affiliates meet and connect for community, social, cultural, business and economic purposes. Our vision is to connect one million Tanzanians within the US. There is power and magic in individuals, communities and businesses connecting, collaborating and transacting with one another in well connected self-sufficient economies.
For more details on the 2026 Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion, please refer to the following pages:
- The RSVP guest list of our 2026 Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion.
- The dress code of our night events of our 2026 Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion.
To attend our event, please RSVP by sending your full name, names of your primary school, O-level and A-level secondary schools, and your corresponding graduation class years to +1.614.962.3718, so as to register your name in our RSVP guest list.
We are looking forward to meeting you and reuniting on the 2026 Memorial Day Holiday Weekend, May 22-25, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. Welcome! Karibu!
Organizing Team,
2026 Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion.
Event A: Friday Opening Night
| Start Time | End Time | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:00 pm | 7:00 pm | Registration and Check-In | Attendees arrive at the venue, register and check in at the registration desk, pick up their name tags, schedules, and welcome packets at the registration table as they arrive. |
| 6:00 pm | 7:00 pm | Cocktail Hour | Attendees meet, mingle, and enjoy light refreshments. A variety of beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, will be served. Light appetizers, or hors d'oeuvres, are also served, providing guests with light snacks before the main meal. |
| 7:00 pm | 7:15 pm | Welcome Remarks | An organizer, a notable alumnus or an event host will give a brief welcome remark to officially kick off the weekend’s events. |
| 7:15 pm | 8:00 pm | Welcome Dinner and a Fireside Panel Discussion. | A light Tanzanian dinner will be served as the 3-person panel discusses the main theme of this year's event, "Your Health Is Your Wealth". A random selection draw will be held to place the four men's basketball teams in the men's 4-team basketball championship tournament bracket. |
| 8:00 pm | 9:00 pm | Ice-Breaker: Scavenger Hunt and Trivia | Rwabutaza Basketball Classic Scavenger Hunt, Alma Mater Scavenger Hunt and Nostalgia Trivia will be conducted to kick off interaction among all attendees. An alma mater scavenger hunt is a game in which participants solve clues to find and complete challenges related to their school’s history, culture, and landmarks. There will also be a Nostalgia Trivia, a trivia to highlight memories from the past through items, props, decorations or music that reflects the era being celebrated. |
| 9:00 pm | 11:00 pm | Background Music and Networking | Attendees continue to mingle and network until the 11:00 pm close. Next day events start early at 11:00 am, all attendees are encouraged to rest well by sleeping early and waking up early in order to arrive early by 11:00 am at the next day's starting event, Event B, the men's basketball semi-finals. |
Full Events Program – The 2026 Rwabutaza Basketball Classic & Reunion
| Event Date | Event Time | Event | Early Bird Ticket (Purchased Before April 15, 2026) | Regular Ticket (Purchased April 15-May 21, 2026) | Weekend Ticket (Purchased May 22-25, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, May 22, 2026 | 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm | Event A: Friday Opening Night | $15 | $20 | $25 |
| Saturday, May 23, 2026 | 11:00 am - 3:00 pm | Event B: Saturday Basketball Semis | Free | Free | Free |
| Saturday, May 23, 2026 | 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm | Event C: Saturday Nyama Choma (Meal Ticket) | $15 | $20 | $22 |
| Saturday, May 23, 2026 | 10:00 pm - 2:00 am | Event D: Reunion Black Suit Ball (Regular Admission) | $40 | $50 | $60 |
| Saturday, May 23, 2026 | 10:00 pm - 2:00 am | Event D-VIP: Reunion Black Suit Ball (VIP Admission) | $800 | $900 | $1,000 |
| Sunday, May 24, 2026 | 11:00 am - 3:00 pm | Event E: Sunday Basketball Finals | Free | Free | Free |
| Sunday, May 24, 2026 | 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm | Event F: Sunday Nyama Choma (Meal Ticket) | $15 | $20 | $22 |
| Sunday, May 24, 2026 | 10:00 pm - 2:00 am | Event G: Reunion White Party (Regular Admission) | $40 | $50 | $60 |
| Sunday, May 24, 2026 | 10:00 pm - 2:00 am | Event G-VIP: Reunion White Party (VIP) | $800 | $900 | $1,000 |
| All weekend | All weekend | Full All-Weekend Bundle | $120 | $150 | $180 |
| Saturday and Sunday, May 23-24, 2026 | Saturday Night and Sunday Night | Two Night Events Bundle | $80 | $100 | $120 |