5.16.2023
Afro Nation to Launch Afro Nation Detroit in Summer 2023
The World’s Biggest Afrobeats Festival Hits the Motor City on August 19-20
Afro Nation Expands to a Second US Location, Partnering With Detroit Company Bedrock to Bring the Best in Global African and Black Music to a Historic Music City
Sign up at Detroit.afronation.com for Updates on Headliners, Ticket Options and Additional Festival Information
Critical Praise:
“Afro Nation events began in Portugal in 2019 and are continuing to grow and expand across the globe as a way to showcase and celebrate Afro-fusion, reggae, dancehall, hip-hop, soca and more Black-led music.” – Billboard
“With previous events in Ghana and Puerto Rico, Afro Nation has the accolade of being the world’s biggest festival centered on Afrobeats music.” – Billboard
“The festival promises to deliver an impressive array of today’s hottest artists from Africa and the diaspora.” – Yahoo!
“For the festival goers, this year’s event fulfilled the 2-year long draught of social distancing and zero socializing. Social media was a buzz with Instagram reels featuring artist performances, festival fashion, and social engagements by the beach on the beautiful Praia da Rocha beach, just south of Portimão….Now with a second edition taking place in Ghana, this coming December, Afro Nation is yet to see more success.” – MEFeater
The Announcement:
Afro Nation is the world’s biggest celebration of African music and entertainment, aiming to unite the African diaspora with exuberant events featuring music’s biggest stars. This year, Afro Nation announces that it will make its debut in one of the most significant cities in the history of Black music with Afro Nation Detroit 2023. The second Afro Nation festival to take place in the continental United States promises performances from the biggest names in Afrobeats and superstars in Hip-Hop, R&B, Amapiano, Dancehall, Reggae, and other African, Afro-Caribbean, and African-American musical genres. Presented in partnership with Bedrock, a Detroit-based company, Afro Nation Detroit 2023 arrives on August 19th-20th, 2023 at Bedrock’s Douglass Site in Detroit, Michigan.
Expected to draw tens of thousands of attendees each day from around the globe, Afro Nation Detroit 2023 will feature additional activations and events to honor Detroit’s musical contributions to the world and highlight its connection to present day American, African, and global Black culture and music. Afro Nation hopes to continue a tradition that has encompassed the heyday of Motown in the 1960s, the birth of techno in the 1980s, today’s flourishing hip-hop scene, and much more.
The festival offers an opportunity to celebrate the resilience and enduring legacy and to connect with Detroit’s vibrant music and artistic communities.The Douglass site is a historically significant housing project in Detroit that was the first federally funded housing project for African Americans in the United States. It was home to icons such as Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, and other influential African Americans.
The biggest Afrobeats festival in the world, Afro Nation has successfully executed festivals in Portugal, Ghana, and Puerto Rico, and is preparing for its first festival in Miami this month. Afro Nation Miami 2023 is the first Afro Nation event in the United States, highlighting the best in Afrobeats, dancehall, hip-hop, amapiano, and other Black-led musical genres. Headlined by Afrobeats giants Burna Boy and WizKid, and featuring a powerful lineup of artists from Africa, the Caribbean, and across the globe, Afro Nation Miami touches down at LoanDepot Park on May 27 & 28, 2023.
The upcoming Afro Nation Detroit and Afro Nation Miami follow up a groundbreaking 2022 from Afro Nation, which has established itself as a major tastemaker and advocate for African music since its founding in 2019. Afro Nation brought a high-powered group of international music stars and over 40,000 fans to the beaches of Portimáo in July for the second-ever Afro Nation Portugal, with headliners that included WizKid, Burna Boy, and Megan Thee Stallion. Earlier in the year, the innovative festival made its North American debut with Afro Nation Puerto Rico. The festival closed out 2022 with Afro Nation Ghana 2022 in Accra, Afro Nation’s first event in Ghana since 2019.
Afro Nation festivals are dedicated to providing a global platform for music from Africa and its diaspora. In addition, Afro Nation teams with BBC Radio 1xtra and the Official Charts Company to host a weekly UK Afrobeats Chart Show, and in 2022, Afro Nation partnered with Billboard to present the first-ever U.S. Afrobeats Chart.
With more milestones to cross and many unforgettable sets in the near future, Afro Nation is primed to shine an even brighter spotlight on some of the most exciting artists in music today.
Sign up at Detroit.afronation.com for updates on headliners, ticket options and additional festival information
Access the Afro Nation Detroit press application HERE
Watch the Afro Nation 2022 Recap Video HERE
Afro Nation Detroit 2023 is presented by Bedrock, Event Horizon, SMADE, and Live Nation.
Please contact Michelle, Kevin, Destiny, or T’Keyah for more info.
The Background:
Launched in 2019 to critical acclaim, Afro Nation is the biggest and best Afrobeats celebration in the world and a fast growing global cultural influence. The events unite the diaspora and deliver something culturally important to a hugely underserved audience. In 2022, 40,000 music lovers attended Afro Nation Portugal to see the biggest names in Afrobeats, Amapiano, Hip-Hop, R&B, Dancehall and Bashment, at one of the most beautiful beach locations on the planet. After finishing 2022 with Afro Nation Ghana (Dec. 29-30), Afro Nation expands even further in 2023, with Miami 2023, its first-ever festival on the continental U.S.
Links:
official site | afro nation u.s. official site | twitter | instagram
Find more information at afronation.com and usa.afronation.com