Afro Plus Fest returns to the DMV this Labor Day weekend with a three-day celebration of global Black music and culture at the Northwest Stadium Complex in Landover, Maryland.
The festival runs Friday, Sept. 4 through Sunday, Sept. 6 expanding from its sold-out one-day debut in 2025 at RFK Festival Grounds.
This year’s lineup is headlined by Tems, Ayra Starr, Davido, Wizkid and Alkaline, with additional performances from Lil Baby, Latto, Chief Keef, Sexyy Red, Olamide, Tiwa Savage, Adekunle Gold, Sarkodie, Ruger, Victony and others.
“Afro Plus Fest is a homecoming for African communities across our state and across the country to come together and celebrate the bonds that connect us,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said in a statement, expressing his support for the event hitting Prince George’s County. “I have to give a special shout out to the ‘Made in DMV’ performers and hope everyone shows them some love this weekend.”
Beyond the music, the festival will transform 35 acres of open-air stadium space into a cultural campus featuring a carnival, interactive basketball court, 125 food vendors, art installations and a marketplace featuring Black-owned businesses and DMV creators.
“We packed this weekend so full that the goal is for you not to be able to finish the festival in one day,” said Michael Awosanya, founder and executive producer of Afro Plus Fest. “You could come all three days and still miss something. We built it for the fans first.”
The festival drew 20,000 attendees in 2025 and generated an estimated $10 million in local economic impact, according to organizers. This year, the Afro Plus team projects 120,000 attendees and up to $60 million in local economic impact.
DC News Now host Corinna Delgado described the festival as a stimulus for the local economy.
“[It’s] like a micro economic stimulus package for Prince George’s,” she said.
As the festival prepares to open, Awosanya urged attendees to soak in the significance of the event.
“We’ve never seen anything like this in our lifetime,” Awosanya said, “and I truly hope we realize how special this moment is and make the most of it.”
