The organizers of the much anticipated Afrobeats festival AfroNation has canceled its end of the year festival in Lagos due to poor ticket sales.
Nigeria was supposed to host its debut AfroNation festival on the 19th and 20th of December at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) headlined by African artists Burna Boy, Seyi Vibez, J Hus and Black Sherif in Lagos. Various countries like Portugal, Ghana, Puerto Rico, Miami among others have hosted the festival in the past.
The recent development was announced via their X handle. Apparently, the organizers stated that they have very high standards for their shows and they believe Nigeria may not be able to deliver such a show.
AfroNation apologized and expressed their disappointment saying Nigeria holds a special place in their hearts and they feel heartbroken that the show is no longer taking place. They also promised to make a refund to everyone who has purchased a ticket for the show with immediate effect.
The statement read:
"Unfortunately the Afro Nation Nigeria festival in Lagos will now not be taking place. As event organizers, 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 honored to play our part in the Afrobeats community, providing a platform for artists to connect with fans and to create events that have such a positive impact on the culture. globally, as well as launching the Afrobeats chart in the US and the UK.
We have put on incredible shows in Portugal. Ghana, Puerto Rico. Miami and Detroit but Nigeria holds a special place in our hearts, so we are heartbroken not to be able to celebrate with you this year. Please know, we are 100% committed to creating an Afro Nation show in Lagos that we can all be proud of.
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. We will see you again soon"
To honor and recognize the immense and groundbreaking achievements by the Afrobeats stars in Nigeria, AfroNation decided to bring the festival to Nigeria to wrap up the year in a commendable way.
However, it appeared as though the organizers chose Nigeria to host the show during an unfavorable period. The price of a ticket for the festival is $300 and that is approximately N300,000 or even more due to the frequent rise of the exchange rate.
Apart from the price of the ticket, other factors such as the traffic and road network in Lagos, insecurity, bad roads etc may have influenced the decision of the organizers. Realistically, Nigerians would either spend money on basic needs such as food, clothing and safety than on a festival of a few hours.
Nigeria was supposed to host its debut AfroNation festival on the 19th and 20th of December at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) headlined by African artists Burna Boy, Seyi Vibez, J Hus and Black Sherif in Lagos. Various countries like Portugal, Ghana, Puerto Rico, Miami among others have hosted the festival in the past.
The recent development was announced via their X handle. Apparently, the organizers stated that they have very high standards for their shows and they believe Nigeria may not be able to deliver such a show.
AfroNation apologized and expressed their disappointment saying Nigeria holds a special place in their hearts and they feel heartbroken that the show is no longer taking place. They also promised to make a refund to everyone who has purchased a ticket for the show with immediate effect.
The statement read:
"Unfortunately the Afro Nation Nigeria festival in Lagos will now not be taking place. As event organizers, 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 honored to play our part in the Afrobeats community, providing a platform for artists to connect with fans and to create events that have such a positive impact on the culture. globally, as well as launching the Afrobeats chart in the US and the UK.
We have put on incredible shows in Portugal. Ghana, Puerto Rico. Miami and Detroit but Nigeria holds a special place in our hearts, so we are heartbroken not to be able to celebrate with you this year. Please know, we are 100% committed to creating an Afro Nation show in Lagos that we can all be proud of.
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. We will see you again soon"
To honor and recognize the immense and groundbreaking achievements by the Afrobeats stars in Nigeria, AfroNation decided to bring the festival to Nigeria to wrap up the year in a commendable way.
However, it appeared as though the organizers chose Nigeria to host the show during an unfavorable period. The price of a ticket for the festival is $300 and that is approximately N300,000 or even more due to the frequent rise of the exchange rate.
Apart from the price of the ticket, other factors such as the traffic and road network in Lagos, insecurity, bad roads etc may have influenced the decision of the organizers. Realistically, Nigerians would either spend money on basic needs such as food, clothing and safety than on a festival of a few hours.
