All About Afro Nation Festival

Portimão, Portugal

Open-air

L – 5k-20k

Electronic

$$$$

International

+3 Days

Afro Nation is the world’s biggest Afrobeats festival.

Any avid afrobeats listener knows that Afro Nation is the place for this genre of music, especially as it has some of the hottest names perform every year.

The festival also plays hip-hop, R&B, dancehall, Afrohouse and amapiano and more African-led music, bringing in audiences from around the world.

Here’s everything you need to know about Afro Nation.

A Nigerian promoter founded Afro Nation

SMADE, whose real name is Aesegun Adeosun Jr, created Afro Nation with his business partner Obi Asika and Live Nation’s help.

With the aim to become the first ever festival to unite the African Diaspora, Afro Nation became just that.

The music celebration is now known as a festival that celebrates unity and diversity, connecting communities from different cultural backgrounds through the art of music.

Afro Nation started as a series of campus house parties

SMADE began bringing people and music together by hosting student house parties while pursuing his bachelor’s degree in London.

The parties were a hit and eventually became the ‘it’ spot in campus. Unfortunately, it prompted neighbors to call the police the night SMADE was celebrating his birthday party.

In an interview with Forbes, SMADE said he has larger ambitions than hosting small-scale parties. With a strong belief in the Afrobeat culture, he ventured into the world of artist bookings and clubbing weekends.

The parties eventually moved to nightclubs to prevent similar situations from happening, and it was very successful. But that was not enough for this Lagos-born visionary, and so Afro Nation was born.

Afro Nation was thought to be the next Fyre festival

There was quite a bit of skepticism around Afro Nation, with people comparing it to Fyre festival, but all doubts melted away as the festival impressed its audience. 

SMADE was more than prepared to manage a festival of this size, having had some experience with adversity in organization in the past when an event he planned was sold out with 2,000 more people.

In an interview with BBC, SMADE recalls how he “fasted for three days” and “prayed with a team of about 55 people.”

He said that through Afro Nation, the event promoter-turned-founder wanted to break the stereotype of having “thousands of black people in one place” and making it “incident-free.”

The festival initially expected an attendance of 5,000 people

Afro Nation’s past line-up has had some of the biggest names in entertainment

The music festival changed the game with its beat-fueled ethos. Instead of placing bets on crowd-pleasing genres, such as EDM and hip-hop, Afro Nation paved its own path.

With names such as Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy headlining in 2019, the festival promised to be unforgettable.

Many talented black musicians who have not yet reached the mainstream are celebrated here. Afro Nation creates a space for undiscovered talent to showcase what they have to offer.

IAMDDB, Ms Dynamite, and Kranium are just some of the music heroes that took to the stage at Afro Nation.

Afro Nation celebrates women and their talents

Talented female artists such as Tems, Shenseea, Teni The Entertainer and Sho Madjozi have shared their passion for music with the audience of Afro Nation.

During an interview with Vibe, Madjozi said he hopes the festival is living proof that Black girls “are not shy or small,” adding that “this world is ours as much as anyone else’s.”

The sentiment was definitely translated into the four-day festival, as Clash Magazine reported that 86% of the attendees were women.

More than just a festival, Afro Nation keeps the party going

Afro Nation offers boat and beach parties with renowned DJs performing.

Guests who purchase VIP tickets will have access to a private bar amongst other areas that are dedicated to an elevated festival experience.

The fashion at Afro Nation is reflective of the festival

Festival-goers often sport outfits that represent their country.

Through small additions of cultural accessories and larger additions such as flags of different countries, the fashion at Afro Nation became something to look forward to. 

Afro Nation is a celebration of Black culture, unifying people in a way that no other festival does.

By brining together festival-goers from different backgrounds, the event allows you to dive deep into multiculturalism.

Ghana’s beaches transformed into an Afro Nation location