“This isn’t just the largest festival of African and Caribbean music in Britain, it’s the best” – The Sunday Times

The UK’s biggest celebration of African and Caribbean music and culture makes its return to Liverpool on 20th and 21st June this summer.

The Africa Oyé festival began back in 1992 as a series of gigs in Liverpool city centre, originally coming out of the monthly “Club Corinto” nights which were produced by the Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign. Its growth over the last 33 years has seen the festival take place in multiple locations including Birkenhead Park, Princes Park, and Concert Square. Africa Oyé has taken place in the picturesque surroundings of Sefton Park since 2002.

Africa Oyé celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 2022, and in 2024 enjoyed its busiest ever festival, attracting over 80,000 people. The festival is a truly diverse and international event that harnesses the spirit of multiculturalism. It has played host to artists from nations right across Africa and also programmes music from The Caribbean, South America and the wider Diaspora, as well as main stage slots for emerging musicians, DJs and community performances.

The Sunday night headliner for Oyé ’26 is Grammy-nominated guitarist and singer Fatoumata Diawara, who is set to make a triumphant return to Liverpool’s Sefton Park this summer – fifteen years after her first UK festival performance at Africa Oyé!

Having fled Mali at the age of 19, Diawara continues, at 43, to examine society’s flaws while celebrating her dual life as an artist and a mother. Through her vibrant voice, Diawara addresses crucial subjects including female genital mutilation and forced marriage – personal hardships that she transforms into a universal message of hope and resilience.

The Afrofuturist chanteuse blends jazz, funk and folk with traditional Wassoulou music – singing in her mother tongue, Bambara, Diawara’s live shows make her audiences laugh, cry and above all, dance.

Making his Liverpool debut at this year’s festival is multiple award-winning Nigerian musician, Patoranking.

A visionary in the African music industry and a cultural ambassador for Afrobeats, Patoranking blends the genre with reggae and dancehall to create a unique sound that resonates worldwide. He is an MTV Africa Music Awards winner and earned the prestigious accolade of being included in Forbes Africa’s ‘30 Under 30 class of 2020’.

Patoranking’s career achieved prominence when he released his hit single “My Woman My Everything” in 2016, which played a pivotal role in the global recognition of Afrobeats. With a series of successful releases under his label Amari Musiq including tracks such as “Babylon” “Abule” and “Kolo Kolo” and collaborations with the likes of Major Lazer, Wizkid, and Davido, his music has collectively amassed nearly a billion streams on YouTube alone.

The first Black British female reggae artist to have a number one in the UK, Janet Kay, also makes her Oyé debut in 2026. The multi-award-winning artist is best known for her stellar hit single ‘Silly Games’, which placed her in the Music Guinness Book of Records as the first Black British born Female Reggae artist to hit the top of the UK Pop Charts. As a ‘sixties child’, Kay was exposed to the singing greats – especially those from the Tamla Motown stable – and her love for singing was born. She has since been produced by a host of legendary producers/artists, including the late great Alton Ellis, Jackie Mitto and Sugar Minot.

Kay’s impact on the UK reggae scene has been inspirational – and her sweet, heartwarming vocals continue to win her many fans around the world. Joining the line up for Sunday at the festival, she will be sure to bring an unforgettable performance to Oyé.

Also announced to perform as part of Oyé’s Sunday line-up is Nana Benz Du Togo. The group consists of 3 formidable feminist voices. Armed with nothing more than their vocals and a vintage Korg keyboard, this powerful ensemble create a unique blend of voodoo tradition and soul. Other recent line-up additions include ‘Eco-Friendly-Afro-futuristic-Punk-Assemble’ collective Fulu Miziki, Afrofuturist singer-songwriter and pioneer of Congolese Electric music Kizaba and Ghorwane, the legendary band from Maputo in Mozambique, who are celebrating 40 years of magical and original music since their formation back in 1983.

But Africa Oyé is about more than just music. Over 100 stalls selling the best food, drink, arts and crafts and fashion from Africa and beyond make up the vibrant and eclectic Oyé Village. A brand new Family Zone will be launched at Oyé ‘26 – with creative activities for all ages and abilities.

This year’s celebration will be the first ticketed Oyé in Sefton Park in the festival’s history, following a fallow year in 2025 due to rising infrastructure costs, changing legislation, and the increasingly difficult challenge of keeping the event free. The organisers of the ‘jewel in Liverpool’s festival crown’ are committed to making it as affordable as possible for its audience, with low ticket prices and children under 12 receiving free entry to the event (with a paying adult). Oyé will continue to provide a welcoming atmosphere as the festival begins this new chapter of an incredible journey.

Paul Duhaney, Artistic Director Africa Oyé said: “This is an exciting new era for the festival and we’re embracing the challenges that come with the changes. The line-up is one that myself and the team are really happy about with two headliners that will show all our new audience members just what the festival is all about. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back to Sefton Park this summer.”

The Africa Oyé festival will take place on 20th and 21st June 2026 in its Grade 1-listed, 200-acre home of Sefton Park – the largest open space in Liverpool.