For its second annual edition, this year, Afro Plus Fest returned with a sold out event headlined by major acts across Afrobeats, dancehall, soca, R&B and hip-hop. Held in the DMV, Maryland, this past weekend, it was a full 3-day experience that saw headliners such as Wizkid, Davido, Tems, Ayra Starr and Alkaline take the stage – as well as supporting acts namely Latto, Sexyy Red, Chief Keef, Tiwa Savage, Sarkodie, Odeal and more.

Dubbed as the largest celebration of global Black music and culture, Afro Fest debuted last year, founded by DMV (Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia) native Michael Awosanya who noted that the festival represents the culmination of years spent building spaces for African and diaspora culture in the region. 

A Prince George’s County local and Towson University alum, Awosanya began organizing DJ battles and dance competitions before bringing artists, including heavyweights like Burna Boy and Asake, to the region. 

That work eventually culminated in Afro Plus Fest’s inaugural edition in 2025, a one-day event at the RFK Festival Grounds, which sold out and drew more than 20,000 attendees. The festival also generated an estimated $10 million in local economic impact, establishing Afro Plus as more than a concert but a growing cultural and economic platform.

That first-year response set the stage for an even more ambitious sophomore edition which expanded from a single day to a 3-day format and moved from the RFK Festival Grounds to the Northwest Stadium Complex in Landover. Additionally, it was projected to draw as many as 120,000 attendees across Labor Day Weekend, reflecting the rapid growth of an event that is positioning itself around the breadth of Black music and diaspora culture rather than a single sound or region.

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In that sense, Afro Plus joins a wider festival movement using large-scale live experiences to bring Black artists, audiences, businesses and cultural expressions into the same space; therefore pushing its central idea even further and the increasingly interconnected sounds of the African diaspora. 

If its sold-out debut proved there was an audience for that vision, then this year’s 3-day expansion shows just how far that audience can reach. It also ultimately suggests that Afro Plus may be building something with staying power across other cities such as London, Dallas, among others, beyond its inaugural location.

Cover Image Credit: Afro Plus Fest

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