More than just a festival

Returning for the highly-anticipated 5th anniversary edition in Portugal, Afro Nation delivered a truly unmatched 3-day celebration of music, love and unity for over 40,000 from more than 180 countries worldwide.

By Kate Sreenarong, in News, Portugal, Events, Algarve · 31 Jul 2025, 11:02 · 0 Comments

From July 9 to 11, the one-of-a-kind festival marked half a decade in style, bringing together the global Afrobeats and Amapiano community on the beach. Now, Afro Nation has made the first announcement for next year’s event, revealing new dates over the weekend of July 3 to 5, 2026, with limited pre-sale tickets available for purchase.

More than just a festival, Afro Nation has created a space for the African diaspora to come together and push the culture forward. Since its legendary debut in Portimão in 2019, the event has been fuelling a powerful movement of its own and changing the face of live music entertainment around the world.

For the 5th anniversary, countless icons commanded the LIT Stage with incredible energy and presence, in what will go down as one for the books. On Wednesday, Davido celebrated his latest album 5IVE with a crowd-pleasing headline show, following surprise sets from the British Afroswing pioneer J Hus and the fast-rising Nigerian artist Shallipopi, alongside dynamic displays from Tiakola, Gabzy, Ronisia and Joshua Baraka.

Thursday saw an enthralling headline debut from Tems with her soulful and powerful vocals serenading the beach, set up perfectly by Mary J. Blidge’s powerhouse set of R&B classics. Among the highlights were Ghanaian-American artist Amaarae, coming in the form of a sultry genre-blending performance, returning French rapper Franglish, as well as boundary-pushing sets from Odeal, Naza and the Cape Verdean star June Freedom.

Friday, unofficially dubbed “Burna Nation”, saw the festival transformed into the world of Burna Boy’s new album No Sign of Weakness – released on the day of his triumphant headline set that night on the beach. Fans were treated to an exclusive album listening party ahead of a celebratory show that no-one – including Burna Boy – wanted to stop, as hit after hit had the LIT stage crowd whipped into a blissful frenzy, and whilst his presence and enduring dedication to entertaining the Afro Nation community dominated the final day, so many incredible sets kept the main stage alive all day and night. The likes of French rapper Booba, Jamaican dancehall and reggae performer Dexta Daps, Belgian Moroccan songwriter Dystinct, Dutch rapper Frenna and the Congolese artist Innoss’B, all added to the diverse gathering of global talent only found at Afro Nation.

Over on the new look Piano People Stage, this year’s celebration was not just a sonic journey, but a cultural takeover, with top-tier South African DJs drawing enormous crowds, such as Scorpion Kings, Uncle Waffles, DBN Gogo, KMAT, and Felo Le Tee. A standout, genre-blending set from Virgo Deep had the crowd completely captivated as he stepped out from behind the decks to play piano live on stage – a beautiful fusion of performance and production that showcased the musicality at the heart of Amapiano. The stage this year embraced the evolving landscape of the continent, expanding beyond Amapiano, the line-up featured the deeper grooves of 3 Step, Afro House and Afro Tech, with a powerful set from Mörda bringing a rich, hypnotic energy to Praia da Rocha.

The Piano People Stage didn’t simply host performances; it became a living, breathing community space, filled with South African artists who had travelled purely to be part of what has become the only space outside of South Africa that truly brings the full SA vibe to life. As the final night came to a close, the spirit of unity and joy reached its peak, with dozens of artists returning to the stage once more, dancing together in unison under the night sky – a powerful reminder that the Piano People Stage is not just a festival platform, but a global home for the heartbeat of Southern African music culture.

For the first time, Afro Nation’s programme expanded beyond the three core days and extended out beyond the beach, as proceedings kicked off early on Tuesday with an opening party at NoSoloÁgua beach club which featured a special guest set from Uncle Waffles. Each day, Afro Nation left the beach and set sail for a number of sold-out official boat parties in partnership with LIT x Dankie Sounds with special guest DJ AG, SLOWJAMSwithA and Trendy. Closing the week on Saturday in Portimão was the Afrotronic part at NoSoloÁgua, concluding the most momentous Afro Nation festival to date.

Afro Nation built a paradise on the beach for the global community to come together and connect, offering signature dishes from jollof rice to peri-peri prawns and akara balls, further amplifying the cultural immersion beyond the stages. Another moment that symbolises everything that makes the Afro Nation movement so special is Flag Day, which saw thousands sporting their colours in a beautiful sharing of culture, identity, heritage and pride.

Since launching in 2019, Afro Nation has played a part in global stars like Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Davido reaching headline status on major mainstream festival lineups around the world. The festival transcends borders, uniting the diaspora in a global celebration of dance, food, fashion, music and enjoyment. Its influence reaches far and wide, with successful editions launched not only in Europe, but also in America, the Caribbean and Africa, with more expansions on the horizon.

Whether you’re interested in celebrating African culture or visiting the beach in Portugal, please visit Afro Nation - The World's #1 Festival for African Music & Culture.