The Homecoming Festival has been a significant cultural event in Lagos, Nigeria, since its inception in 2017.The Homecoming Festival is an annual cultural event that takes place in Lagos, Nigeria, during Easter weekend. Grace Ladoja MBE founded the festival in 2017, and it has been renown for its integration of fashion with music, sport, and art, making it one of the most highly-anticipated events in Lagos.. It is an annual festival that celebrates African talent in music, fashion, art, and culture, focusing on uniting a global community of musicians, artists, designers, and creatives through collaborations and partnerships between these super stars and international brands, and institutions. The homecoming festival, which takes place over four days during Easter weekend, features pop-ups, panel talks, live concerts, art tours, and a celebrity football match.
In 2024, the Homecoming Festival took place in Lagos, Nigeria, from March 27th to April 1st. The festival featured a range of tickets, with student tickets starting at ₦6,400 (roughly £5) and VIP tickets at ₦36,850 (roughly £35). The festival is a cultural exchange between Africa and the world, and it offers a curated glimpse into the zenith of contemporary African culture.
The Football Match
The Homecoming All-Stars triumphed over Native Records FC in a thrilling friendly match that kept spectators on the edge of their seats. The first half ended with a tense 4-4 tie before the Homecoming All-Stars emerged victorious, with Bobo Ajuga earning the title of man of the match.
Other Happenings
Homecoming took control of Alara Lagos and unveiled a permanent space within the upscale concept store, showcasing local brands like Dye Lab, Koma, Waf, Dencity, Free the Youth, Meji Meji, and Street Souk. The event also featured notable international collaborations including Nike x Nocta, Denim Tears’ Nigerian flag-inspired jeans, Trapstar, Stussy, and Casablanca. Attendees enjoyed a free braid bar and indulged in contemporary African cuisine from NOK by Alara. Upstairs, guests could participate in a Dye workshop and personalize their Nike x Nocta t-shirts at the mirrored pop-up on the top floor balcony. One engaging talk, titled “Building Empowered Narratives: African Creatives Taking Control Of Their Own Stories,” brought together industry leaders such as No Signal’s David Sonubi, Native Records’ Seni Saraki, Street Souk founder Ireti Zaccheus, and Tropicals founder Olamide Olowo A, for an inspiring dialogue.
Featured Artistes
The Homecoming Festival has been known to bring Nigerian firsts for various artists, such as Central Cee, Black Sherif, and Arrdee, who were joined by Asake, Rema, Midas the Jagaban, SGaWD, Fave, Zinoleesky, and many more in previous years. The festival has also featured performances by Tiwa Savage, NSG, YKB, Cruel Santino, Psycho YP, Lojay, Sarz, Shallipopi, Odumodublvck, Brazyy, Khaid, Young Jonn, Seyi Vibez, DJ Obi, Qing Madi, Taves, Morravey and other perfromers. In essence the Homecoming Festival, an annual cultural event in Lagos, Nigeria, celebrates African talent in music, fashion, art, and culture with various activities and events.