The UK's biggest celebration of African and Caribbean music and culture is making its highly anticipated return to Liverpool’s Sefton Park this summer. Taking place across the weekend of June 20th and 21st, 2026, the legendary festival enters a new era with an international lineup that features Fatoumata Diawara, Patoranking, and Janet Kay.
First established in 1992 as a small series of city-centre gigs, the festival has grown exponentially over its 33-year history, drawing a record-breaking 80,000 people to Sefton Park in 2024. This year's event represents a historic milestone, transitioning into a ticketed festival for the first time to combat rising infrastructure costs following a fallow year in 2025. Organizers remain dedicated to keeping the celebration accessible, offering low ticket prices and free entry for children under 12.
Sunday night headliner and Grammy-nominated artist Fatoumata Diawara makes a triumphant return to the festival fifteen years after her first UK performance at Africa Oyé. The Afrofuturist chanteuse blends jazz, funk, and folk with traditional Wassoulou music, singing in her mother tongue of Bambara to deliver a powerful message of hope and resilience.
Joining the bill for his Liverpool debut is award-winning Nigerian musician Patoranking. A global ambassador for Afrobeats, his unique sound fuses the genre with reggae and dancehall, amassing nearly a billion streams on YouTube through major collaborations with Wizkid and Davido. Also making her festival debut is Janet Kay, the multi-award-winning "Queen of Lovers Rock" and the first Black British-born female reggae artist to top the UK charts with her iconic hit "Silly Games."
The diverse weekend lineup also features Togo's feminist voodoo-soul ensemble Nana Benz Du Togo, eco-friendly punk collective Fulu Miziki, Congolese electronic pioneer Kizaba, and Mozambique legends Ghorwane. Beyond the main stage, attendees can explore the vibrant Oyé Village, which hosts over 100 eclectic food, fashion, and craft stalls, alongside a brand-new interactive Family Zone designed for all ages.
