After year off, Sefton Park’s well-loved festival will make a comeback for 2026
A series of fundraising gigs are also taking place throughout the year and into 2026 (Image: Plast-C)
With Creamfields and Liverpool Celebrates both taking place this weekend, many will be getting in the festival mood. You might even be looking ahead to next year and getting ready to book tickets.
Sefton Park’s long standing Africa Oyé festival will return in 2026, following a fallow year in 2025. Originally a smaller, multi-venue event, Oyé now attracts tens of thousands people every June to Sefton Park with 2024 being its biggest year yet.
Despite this success, increased costs associated with the growth of the festival and a rise in industry supplier costs across the sector forced organisers to take a hiatus this summer. Arts Council England and Liverpool City Council, the festival’s main sponsors, supported the decision.
However fans will be glad to know that the festival, which is Liverpool’s largest celebration of live African music and culture, is set for a strong comeback next year with organisers confirming the dates as June 20 and 21
The line-up for the two day festival has not yet been confirmed though fundraising gigs have been held across the city in partnership with various Liverpool venues.
In June, critically acclaimed Senegalese group Orchestra Baobab played the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall with roots reggae legends Black Uhuru performing at Future Yard in Birkenhead.
Africa Oyé said in a statement on their website last year: “Oyé was a dream…now please help keep it free. We were blessed with two days of gorgeous sunshine and incredible music in Sefton Park this weekend.
And we can’t bear the thought of not being able to do this again free of charge. If you had a weekend to remember, please donate literally any amount you can afford no matter how small”.
More gigs are planned for the coming months and on 20 January 2026, celebrated Malian songwriter and guitarist Afel Bocoum will perform at the Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room
A musical companion to Mali’s late great desert blues pioneer Ali Farka Touré, he launched a solo career with debut album in 1999, Alkibar (The Messenger), and gained international recognition through collaborations with Damon Albarn, including 2002’s Mali Music.
Now, as one of the Sahel’s most beloved artists and ambassador for endangered instruments like the njurkel lute and njarka fiddle.
Bocoum is set to release singles from his new album Harber in October 2025.
Speaking of the 2025 break, artistic director of Africa Oyé, Paul Duhaney, said: “We understand that there will of course be disappointment with this announcement. Our relationships with the Oyé family, festival staff, traders and service suppliers are very important to us and we did not take this decision lightly.
“With increased infrastructure and compliance costs, it is simply a case that without major investment to cover the costs of delivering a festival of this size safely, it would be irresponsible to go ahead with the event in 2025. I can reassure everyone that the festival will be back in 2026.
“The break will allow us to raise money through a series of fundraising concerts, allow us time to negotiate with major partners, sponsors, and funders, and work towards a safe and successful return to Sefton Park.”