AFRO Nation, an annual music festival scheduled for December at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos state, has been cancelled.

In a statement released on Tuesday, October 31, via their official X account, the music festival’s organisers expressed disappointment, stating that they would be unable to deliver a show that suits their standards in Lagos.

“Unfortunately, the Afro Nation Nigeria festival in Lagos will now not be taking place. As event organisers, we hold ourselves to extremely high standards, and it has become clear to us that it is currently not possible to deliver a show that is of the quality that Nigeria deserves in December 2023.

“We are honoured to play our part in the Afrobeats community, providing a platform for artists to connect with fans and to create events that have a positive impact on the culture globally, as well as launching the Afrobeats chart in the US and the UK.”

The organisers they had organised great shows in Portugal, Ghana, Puerto Rico, Miami, and Detroit, while it had attached much importance to the planned show in Nigeria.

They regretted the cancellation and promised to refund all tickets and bookings already paid for.

“We know that you are as disappointed as we are, and to all those who have purchased tickets, we love you and thank you for supporting us on this journey.

“We will refund all tickets, including booking fees. Ticket buyers do not need to do anything but will receive an email with information outlining the refund process. We will see you again soon”, the team said.

Afro Nation is a 3-day Afrobeats music festival produced by Live Nation, Event Horizon, Smade Entertainment, and Memories of Tomorrow. The festival was launched in 2019  to bring together artistes in Afrobeats, Hip Hop, Amapiano, RnB, and Dancehall, among others.

The festival has featured performances from Nigerian artistes, including Burna Boy, Davido, Tiwa Savage, Wizkid, Oxlade, Femi Kuti, Adekunle Gold, Niniola, Patoranking, Kizz Daniel, Reekado Banks, Rema, Tems, and host of others. 

Burna Boy, J Hus, Flavour, Seyi Vibez and Black Sherif were named by the organisers as the headliners of the event scheduled to be held in Lagos.

The global music festival would have been held in Nigeria for the first time this year. However, following the cancellation, Ghana remains the only African country to have hosted the event.