An African music festival formerly known as “Afrochella” is coming to the U.S., and it’s making its American debut in the Motor City.
Now called AfroFuture, the event bills itself as “a premier cultural platform dedicated to celebrating the beauty, creativity, and innovation of Africa and its diaspora.” It first launched in Ghana in 2017.
“We’re thrilled to bring AfroFuture to Detroit for our U.S. debut,” AfroFuture CEO and co-founder Abdul Karim Abdullah said in a statement. “As a cultural and musical powerhouse, Detroit is the perfect city to launch this transformative experience. By connecting African excellence with Detroit’s rich heritage, we’re bridging the diaspora across borders and oceans through the universal language of music. This is more than just a typical festival — it’s a moment of unity and a celebration of the power of Africa.”
The Detroit edition “seamlessly blends the rhythms of Afrobeats and Amapiano with the iconic sounds of Motown and Techno, creating a one-of-a-kind celebration,” organizers say.
AfroFuture Detroit is set for Aug. 16 and 17 at Bedrock’s Douglass Site, the former location of the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects that was once home of Motown stars including members of the Supremes and Smokey Robinson.
The Douglass Site also hosted the Afro Nation music festival in 2023 and 2024, a similar international music festival that also has its origins in Ghana.
The event is sponsored by Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock and produced by Paxahau, the folks behind Detroit’s Movement Music Festival and an operations partner for the Detroit Jazz Festival.
It sounds like Afro Nation will not return to Detroit in 2025.
“We were fortunate to partner with Afro Nation, which over the past two summers, provided a platform for Detroiters and visitors from around the globe to be immersed in the sound of Afrobeats,” Kofi Bonner, CEO of Bedrock, said in a statement. “Building on this momentum, Bedrock will introduce AfroFuture to the U.S. for the first time in Detroit, a festival experience dedicated to fostering and engaging the community with Afrocentric art, music and fashion. Additional information will be shared soon.”
While a lineup hasn’t been announced yet, we expect a mix of African performers as well as artists from the U.S. and Detroit. We’ll be keeping our eyes on Detroit.AfroFuture.com and Instagram at @AfroFuture for more information.
