24th August, 2011
On Sunday, 28 August, the cosmopolitan city of London will play host to one of the biggest African events to date: The 2011 Afrobeat Festival. Showbiz Trends learnt that the iconic Hammersmith Apollo in Central London will welcome over 5,000 music and comedy lovers to the first ever Afrobeat Festival. With a rich line-up that features the very best in African music and comedy, headlining the Festival will be award-winning Afro pop sensations, P-Square, Wizkid and Ice Prince. Also on the bill is superstar comedian, Basket Mouth. They will be supported by top UK-based Nigerian acts like JJC, Big Boyz All Stars, DL, May7ven, Don’t Jealous Me, Elenu and Tunde Ednut, among others.
The festival will be hosted by UK’s Choice FM’s DJ Abrantee. Speaking on the festival, Ropo Akin, CEO, Cokobar and Afrobeats Project Manager, stated that “despite the unrest that has taken place within London, the Afrobeats Festival is all about uniting not only Africans and Londoners, but everyone in the world who shares love and passion for music and comedy. “The Afrobeats Festival at the HMV Apollo is set to be the epic event of summer 2011. It is only a taste of the great talent and entertainment that Africa has to offer and with emerging talents such as Wizkid, Ice Prince, 2Kriss and many more, we are looking forward to showcasing many more Afrobeats Festivals in the years to come.â€Â The organisers have revealed that Nigeria’s brand, Star lager, have joined the party. It is joining hands with Western Union and Vectone Mobile, among others, to ensure that the event becomes an all-round community affair for London and Londoners alike through entertainment. World famous HMV Hammersmith Apollo had played host to iconic talents such as The Beatles, Adele, Tinie Tempah, Katy Perry and many more.
—Funsho Arogundade