Afro Plus Fest, billed as the world’s largest celebration of global Black music and culture, drew an expected 120,000 people to Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, over Labor Day weekend, with a lineup leaning heavily on Afrobeats headliners including Wizkid, Davido, Tems and Ayra Starr.
The festival has grown fast. Its inaugural edition last year ran for a single day, drew more than 20,000 attendees and generated an estimated $10 million in local economic activity. This year’s expansion to three days, running September 4-6 at the Northwest Stadium Complex in Prince George’s County, was projected to bring in roughly $60 million for the surrounding area.
Beyond the Afrobeats headliners, the bill stretched across genres and the diaspora, featuring Alkaline, Latto, Sexyy Red, Lil Baby, Chief Keef, Adekunle Gold, Olamide, Sarkodie and Tiwa Savage performing soca, dancehall reggae, R&B, amapiano and hip-hop across two stages. Organizers also built out more than 100 brand activations, 125 food vendors, carnival rides, an interactive basketball court, art installations, wellness hubs and a marketplace spotlighting Black-owned and DMV-based businesses.
“We wanted to create as much value as we possibly could for every ticket holder,” festival founder Michael Awosanya said, noting that with three full days of programming, attendees could still miss something no matter how long they stayed. Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who backed the expanded event, called it “a homecoming for African communities” gathering to celebrate cultural connections.
The festival’s growth mirrors a broader moment for African culture reaching mainstream audiences abroad, from Afrobeats headliners filling US stadiums to African cinema drawing global attention, including ten African productions selected for this month’s Toronto International Film Festival lineup. Organizers say the DMV region is increasingly positioning itself as a hub for that global celebration of Black music and culture.
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Source: The Beat DFW
