You’ve heard of Afro Nation. You’ve probably heard of Rolling Loud. And there’s a decent chance Broccoli City rings a bell too. But the DMV’s own Afro Plus Fest (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia region, for those unacquainted) has been quietly outgrowing all three, and the upcoming Labor Day weekend will prove it.
Afro Plus Fest returns for its second year at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, expanding from a single day to a full three-day weekend, with Davido, Wizkid, Alkaline, Tems, and Ayra Starr headlining the main stage alongside special guests Lil Baby, Latto, Chief Keef, and Sexyy Red.
Last year’s debut at RFK Stadium sold out, pulling in 20,000 people and generating an estimated $10 million in local economic impact in a single day, with a turnaround the festival’s organizers pulled off in just 80 days from start to finish. This year, founder Michael Awosanya is projecting 120,000 attendees across the weekend, with economic impact he expects to land somewhere between $40 and $60 million.
Those numbers may sound like a fluke for a festival that’s only two years old, particularly because festivals that have been around nearly a decade can’t even pull those numbers. But it’s no fluke. Just the grit, determination and a little bit of insanity of a first-generation African kid from the DMV who spent over a decade in the party promotion trenches before he ever touched a stadium.
“I have experience with events. I am still learning with the festival,” Awosanya said.
He started as a college party promoter at Towson University in 2014, running African Student Association events, DJ battles, and dance competitions…
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