Festivals

Abuja Alternate Festival 2026 Returns, Showcases Nigeria’s Alternative Music

Published

7 months ago

March 24, 2026

Abuja Alternate Festival 2026 celebrates alternative music, arts, and creative industry growth, featuring top Nigerian and international performers

Abuja, Nigeria, recently hosted the Abuja Alternate Festival (AAF) 2026, marking a major cultural revival in the capital’s music scene. Organised by Bluetooth Entertainment, the festival delivered an immersive celebration of alternative music, arts, and creative industry development.

Also read: Her Future Festival: First All-Female BlockParty in Lagos

The festival featured unforgettable performances from international award-winning singer-songwriter Blessing Tangban, AFRIMA-nominated indie-alternate band The Isomers, Nigerian rock legend Bemsar, as well as Nunu Eluma, Jarell Ebuka, and other rising talents. These performances cemented the AAF as a premier platform for discovering alternative artists.

Since its debut in 2021, the festival has become a sanctuary for artists whose sounds defy conventional trends.

Organisers emphasise that the event nurtures both artistry and brand growth.

“The festival is to create a home not just for alternate art but the music ecosystem. The first edition was artist-focused, but this second edition is artist and brand-focused. We are helping bands tap into the ecosystem, showing that music can be both entertainment and business,” said MC Bluetooth, artist and AAF convener.

Radio personality Big Sheddy from Beat FM, Abuja, added:

“When we celebrate the alternate from the capital, we spotlight the amazing crop of musicians in the city centre who are doing incredible work.”

Artists attending the festival highlighted its impact on Abuja’s music scene.

Atela described the city’s music as “more sensational, more like a playback,” while Meemah Jackson emphasised that support, capital, and collaboration are key to artists thriving.

The festival also featured luxury lifestyle elements. Odide Olwaseun, CEO of DNT Autos, showcased premium cars to connect musicians with the world of luxury, noting the symbolic value of vehicles in reflecting personality.

Since inception, the AAF has drawn thousands of fans and gained recognition for its seamless logistics, premium sound, and energetic, intimate atmosphere.

Also read: Her Future Festival: First All-Female BlockParty in Lagos

It continues to be a blueprint for the next generation of independent creators, turning raw talent into sustainable, global brands.

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Entertainment

Orlando Owoh Music Festival Set for November 7 in Lagos

Published

8 hours ago

October 13, 2026

Mariam Balogun

Orlando Owoh Music Festival 2026 holds November 7 at KYMA Beach, Lagos, celebrating the highlife legend’s legacy and distinctive Kenery sound

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Entertainment

Chinazaekpere Chukwu’s ‘Her Daughters’ Mother’ Heads to London Festival

Published

1 day ago

October 12, 2026

Mariam Balogun

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Culture

OLOJO….Ile Ife’s September Gift To Culture

Published

1 week ago

October 5, 2026

Mariam Balogun

By Halima Adaba,

It was a featubal if the people. It was for the anciebt town of Ile Ife, which the Yoruba race refards as the Source.

Also read: Olojo Festival 2026: Ooni Urges Leaders to Prioritise Citizens

And ut was a festivsl for the King, Arole Oduduwa, Oonirisa, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.

And so between September 24 and 28th 2026, the annual featuval dazzjed in all its white glory.

Tge Monarch paid the traditional ancestral homage and offered propitiation as part of the sacred rites of the Olojo Festival.
It was a powerful expression of Yoruba heritage, spirituality, and enduring tradition.

Call it a collection of beautiful moments, faces, colours and cultural expressions.

Every frame tells a story.

Every face carries the energy.

Every moment keeps the heritage alive.

Undoubtedly one of the most sacred cultural celebrations in Ilé-Ifẹ̀. It marked a day associated with creation, thanksgiving, ancestral heritage, and the sacred appearance of the Ooni of Ife wearing the revered Aàrẹ crown.

There were also the devotees of the famed god of thunder – Sàngó who were hardly conspicuous at the festival.

Many other traditional groups came out with candor, showing a powerful expression of Yoruba cultural identity, spiritual devotion, and respect for the ancient traditions of Ilé-Ifẹ̀.

Devotees of Sàngó bekieved the ‘appearance’ of the god of thunder on Seotember 26th could be understood as a symbolic meeting of ancestral heritage, spiritual devotion, and the celebration of creation.

It was a moment when the sounds of drums, chants, and traditional praise poetry brought the history of the Yoruba people to life.

Although Olojo is closely associated with Ogun, the god of iron, and the sacred traditions of Ile-Ife, the presence of Sàngó devotees reflected the rich diversity of Yoruba spiritual heritage.

Also read: Olojo Festival 2026: Ooni Urges Leaders to Prioritise Citizens

As a participant enthused at the festival, “To witness Sàngó Olúkòso emerge on Olojo Festival day is to witness a living expression of history, identity, and ancestral pride.”