Looking to attend the hottest Afrobeats music festival in the world? It’s hands down Afro Nation! I just came back from Portugal, where I attended the 3-day music festival’s 3rd edition in Portimão, the Algarve. This has been on my travel bucket list for a while now and I’m happy I finally got to cross it off. Since I had such a blast, I put together this extensive guide for those who’d like to attend any of the upcoming editions. 

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About Afro Nation – the Hottest Afrobeats Music Festival

In spite of its recent founding in 2019, and its 2-year break due to COVID-19, Afro Nation secured its spot as the world’s biggest, as well as the hottest, Afrobeats music festival.

The 3-day music event features leading, as well as up-and-coming, artists in not just the Afro music genre, but Amapiano, Afrohouse, dancehall, hip-hop, and R&B too.

Afro Nation was founded by Nigerian entrepreneur Obi Asika and Nigerian events promote Smade, and produced by Live Nation, Event Horizon, Smade Entertainment, and Memories of Tomorrow. The event usually takes place in the summer in the Algarve’s Portimão – on Praia da Rocha beach. However, lately, Afro Nation has been expanding to new destinations such as Accra, Ghana; Miami, USA; and soon in Detroit and Nigeria too. 

My Afro Nation 2023 Experience

Attending Afro Nation 2023 was a dream come true! It’s the biggest Afrobeats music festival in the world and one of the most popular music festivals in Portugal. As an avid listener of the genre and someone who regularly takes Afro-dance classes, it was an incredible experience. 

This year’s headliners were some of the biggest names in the scene – I got to see artists like Burna Boy, Wiz Kid, Davido, Aya Nakamura, Ayra Starr, Fireboy DML, Asake, Black Sherif, Little Simz, Vegedream, and others perform live. I also had some nostalgic moments as 50 Cent performed on the last day! But my favorite act of all was seeing my all-time favorite Tayc!

The Piano People Stage also featured great names including Musa Keys, Uncle Waffles, and more. Making a stop there every once in a while was always a vibe! After all, who doesn’t like Amapiano?

Generally, the event was well organized to a great extent. I didn’t have issues with things like entry and wristband exchange, which normally have high tendencies to become a total mess, but that wasn’t the case with Afro Nation. The things that bothered me were mainly going back home at night, which I’ll talk about below, some of the attendees’ attitude, and the endless queues in front of the food stalls. Regarding the latter, make sure to have a filling meal before you head to the festival in case you don’t manage to get something to eat until late at night. 

As for the people’s attitude, it’s important to keep in mind that even if you go early and get a decent spot close to the stage like I did, people will tend to be more aggressive. It’s sad to see people push and yell at you when you call them out for being rude and aggressive when you’re all there to have a good time, supposedly. That’s why my advice to you is to find a spot where you can be comfortable and safe – proximity to the stage doesn’t matter if you won’t be able to dance and you’ll be squished anyway. 

Speaking of safety, don’t forget to get insured before your trip! 

Now, let’s cut to the chase, and let me break everything down for you if you also want to attend the biggest Afrobeats music festival. Ready to get started?

Afro Nation Tickets

The afrobeats music festival offers 3 tiers for their tickets; GA, VIP, and Golden.

General Admission

• 3-day access to the festival 
• No re-entry

VIP

• 2 VIP areas
• VIP private beach, featuring a seated restaurant with table service
• Afro Cuts station, offering braids and different Afro hair styling services
• Afro Spa, offering glitter makeup, body paint, nails, and more
• VIP bars
• Fast-track queuing lanes
• Luxury toilets
• 3-day access
• No re-entry

Golden Ticket

• 2 VIP areas
• Early access to VIP private beach, featuring a seated restaurant with table service
• Afro Cuts station, offering braids and different Afro hair styling services
• Afro Spa, offering glitter makeup, body paint, nails, and more
• VIP and Golden Circle bars
• Dedicated wristband exchange
• Dedicated festival entrance
• Luxury toilets
• Golden Circle access – front rows beneath the stage
• Exclusive Afro Nation NFT
• Free exclusive Afro Nation merch
• The bag policy doesn’t apply here (see below)
• 3-day access
• Re-entry to the festival venue is allowed

All About Booking Your Afro Nation Ticket

• Try to book as early as possible for a cheaper ticket as the price increases with every wave. 
• Prices are subject to change every year, so make sure you check Afro Nation’s official website for reliable info regarding that.
• There are payment plans available where you can secure your ticket with a deposit and pay the remaining balance in monthly installments.
• Bear in mind that there’s a hidden booking fee. I’m not sure if it’s a percentage of the ticket price or a fixed fee. In my case, I paid a booking fee of $30.77.
• Bear in mind that tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable.
• You’ll receive your e-ticket with a QR code a few days before the festival. That should be exchanged later on with a cashless wristband that I’ll tell you more about in a bit.
• Ticket holders can pay extra for the Sky Terrace access which offers private tables and bottle services for groups of up to 4 people.

Where to Stay If Your Attending Afro Nation?

Since the Afrobeats music festival is a non-camping festival, you’ll have to book accommodation. But first, let’s see which Algarve destinations are of closest proximity to the venue.

• Portimão (Staying in the same town is obviously the best option but could be the priciest.)
• Alvor (10-minute ride) (This is where I personally stayed.)
• Lagoa (17-minute ride)
• Carvoeiro (20-minute ride)

Luxury Stays

• Book Bela Vista Hotel & Spa – Relais & Chateaux
• Book Algarve Casino Hotel
• Book RR Hotel da Rocha
• Book Jupiter Algarve Hotel

Medium-Budget Stays

• Book DART Boutique Hostel 
• Book Alameda Hostel

Budget Stays

• Book Dunas Hostel & Guesthouse (that’s where I stayed)
• Book Aloha Hostel

PRO TIP: Make sure to book accommodation as early as possible. This is the hottest Afrobeats music festival, so everything gets more expensive the closer you are to the festival dates.

Transportation to Portimão and Getting Around

How to Get to Portimão?

If you’re going to Portimão from another city in Portugal, you can go by bus – there are bus stops and stations in all towns in the Algarve. On the other hand, if you’re flying in, then the closest airport is Faro International Airport to the festival venue. 

You can, of course, take an Uber or Bolt straight to your accommodation, but it can be super pricey. I remember when I landed, rides to my destination would’ve cost from €56-68. So, here’s what I did instead.

I took the bus from Faro International Airport to Portimão for €13 only – I followed the signs from the airport arrivals gate to the bus stop and took line 56. Then I took an Uber from the bus station to my hostel for €9. So, overall, I saved more than €30.

It’s worth mentioning that the bus company employees at the airport told me that I could take a minibus to Alvor once I reach Portimão. However, it turned out that this was a scam. They told several people the same thing about different towns and we’ve been all told otherwise when we asked at the tickets office in Portimão. The final stop is Portimão, but it’s noteworthy that the bus also makes a stop at Albufeira and Lagoa first. 

Getting Around the Algarve

The main way to get around the Algarve is via Uber and normally, it’s quite affordable. Prices will slightly increase as soon as the festival starts though due to the higher surge. However, the increase shouldn’t be too much as Portuguese law doesn’t allow this.

The problem is that after the festival, the surge is usually too high because everyone leaves at the same time, so you can wait for more than an hour to get your request accepted on the app. If you’re staying outside of Portimão, it can be an issue if you try to walk for a bit like I did until you reach a place away from the crowds to request a ride. Why? Because everyone will be doing the same thing and after such a long day, your feet will be too sore. 

On your way back home, if you choose to walk, you’ll find plenty of drivers willing to take you, but they will want to charge ridiculous numbers. For instance, from my hostel to the festival venue, a ride normally costs around €6-7, and on festival days, it goes up to around €10-12. However, those scamming drivers were asking to charge €30-45 for the ride! And I found those after I walked away from the festival venue because they’re scared of the police, which means they’re charging way too much for a shorter distance. 

To avoid getting scammed going back home, here are my recommended alternatives:

• Try to book accommodation within walking distance from Praia da Rocha. 
• Afro Nation’s shuttle bus service. The festival has shuttle buses that run from 11:30 PM to 3:30 AM. The routes pass by Alvor, Lagos, Carvoeiro, and Albufeira, and the ticket for the ride can be purchased at the pickup point for €15.
• Leave during the last act and right before the festival ends. If you try requesting a ride while you’re still on the beach, by the time you reach the pickup point, you’ll probably manage to find a car. It’s not the best solution because normally the last act is performed by the headliner of the day so it could be the most anticipated performance. However, I was getting very sick on day 2 and needed to go back to the hostel to take meds, and I tried doing so and it worked.
• Get the contact of a trusted Uber driver, make a deal, and split his fare with other festival-goers from your hostel – you will most probably find lots of those. Or you can split it with your friends if you’re not a solo traveler.
• Rent a car and split the cost with your friends. It could be pricier, but definitely more convenient and less exhausting. You’ll just need to find a parking spot within walking distance because there are no nearby parking lots.

What to Pack/Wear at Afro Nation

• The most important thing to pack is comfy footwear. The festival is on a sand beach – so, stray away from heels, of course. Due to the heat, and the sand, I didn’t think sneakers were a great idea either. Ideally, you want to wear comfy flip-flops or sliders.
• As for your outfits, obviously, opt for beach wear since it’s on the beach, but also make sure you were breathable garments as the Algarve gets super hot and humid. And in case you’re wondering, don’t be afraid to wear something extra – everyone else was!
• DO NOT FORGET to bring a paper fan! A lot of other people brought this small plastic electric fan, but I honestly thought this would be too bulky. Paper fans are more convenient and practical.
• If you’re not a Golden Ticket holder, then you’re subject to the “bag policy”. For some reason, festival rules only allowed bags of certain sizes. Bags that are clear plastic shouldn’t exceed 12” x 6” x 12” and if you opt for an opaque one, then it shouldn’t exceed 4.5” x 6.5”. If your bag is slightly larger than these sizes, it shouldn’t be a problem; however, it’s worth mentioning that, they didn’t always look at the bags, to be honest. At least try avoiding backpacks and bigger handbags to stay on the safe side.
• Don’t forget to pack your flag to represent your country on Flag Friday!

Useful Information & Pro Tips

• The emergency hotline in Portugal is 112.
• It’s a cashless festival. Your wristband doesn’t just act as your ticket, but also as your payment method. To buy food, drinks, or merchandise at the festival venue, you’ll need to use your wristband which you can top up with credit. 
• You can top up your wristband prior to the festival, and get a chance to get extra credit. There will also be top-up stations at the venue.
• It’s best you’d have both cash (euro only) and a card on you because they have different queues, so if one of them is crowded, you could quickly go to the other one. Apple Pay and Google Wallet are also accepted at the card stations.
• It’s best if you do the wristband exchange process as soon as you arrive and before the festival starts because the day of the festival it’s usually very busy. I did it the day before the festival and the whole process didn’t take 10 minutes.
• For the wristband exchange, you need to bring your passport as well as your barcoded e-ticket that’ll be sent to your email right before the festival. Also, if you pre-purchase credit (a wristband voucher), you’ll need to bring the QR code too to make sure your new wristband is topped up on the spot.
• If the festival ends and you have an extra unused credit in your wristband, you can request a refund (in exchange for a small fee) after the festival – the date will be mentioned in your info pack emailed to you a few days before the event. 
• There are 2 first-aid and medical welfare stations at the venue.
• Bring your own reusable water bottle and save money while saving the environment too. Just make sure it’s empty when you enter the venue and you can refill it inside at the dedicated water station (that’s different from the water taps in the WC areas).
• Always keep an eye on your drinks – spiking can be common.
• Most Uber drivers don’t speak English. So, get ready to communicate via Google Translate or sign language! If you know some Spanish, communication will definitely be easier as they’ll manage to understand that.
• Honestly, I don’t think purchasing the VIP ticket worth it. Those wearing the VIP wristbands ended up with General Admission people anyway because they couldn’t see the stage well from their section. Also, their queues weren’t much shorter anyway. So unless you’re willing to pay for the Golden Circle, the VIP upgrade isn’t worth it. 

Is the biggest Afrobeats music festival on your bucket list too? Then don’t forget to save this and let me know in the comments – I’d love to e-meet other fellow Afro music lovers!

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