The organisers said the festival could have ended for good
Africa Oyé has been held in Sefton Park since 2002(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
The organisers of Africa Oyé have released a new statement after a major change was made to the festival. The UK’s biggest celebration of African and Caribbean music and culture decided to take this year off due to rising infrastructure costs, changing legislation and the increasingly difficult challenge of keeping the event free.
The festival started in 1992 as a series of gigs in Liverpool city centre put together by Africa Oyé‘s founder, Kenny Murray. Its growth over the last 33 years has seen it taken in multiple venues.
This includes Birkenhead Park, Princes Park, Concert Square, and Sefton Park since 2002. Paul Duhaney, artistic director at Africa Oyé, announced earlier this month that the 2026 event will be the first ticketed Africa Oyé in Sefton Park in the festival’s history.
Early bird prices see local resident tickets start at £6, with general admission beginning at £11. Children under 12 receive free entry to the event (with a paying adult), and there is a discount when buying for groups of four people.
In a further statement released yesterday on its social media pages, Africa Oyé’s organisers argued they had no choice but to start charging for the festival.
The statement said: “We’d first like to thank everyone for their support since our big announcement. Our ticket sales far surpassed our expectations in this first week, and we’ve received a lot of love and support from those in the community – thank you.
“There has been some understandable disappointment voiced by some of our audience, and we’d like to both address the concerns and hopefully reassure those who are worried about the direction of the festival.
“The move to a fenced and ticketed event is not a change we wanted to implement, as one of the UK’s remaining free festivals.
“However, since recently attracting a footfall of up to 80,000 people to our festival, along with changing legislation and growing costs across the sector, this is no longer avoidable – something that no one could have foreseen when this event started in 1992.
“The challenge of putting the festival on with those numbers safely simply became too great – not only because of the increase in costs this would now incur but also because of legislation and licensing!”
The organisers said that, because it is now a ticketed event, they have to comply with certain pieces of legislation, including Martyn’s Law.
Officially known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, it aims to improve protective security and organisational preparedness across the UK by requiring that those responsible for certain premises and events consider how they would respond to a terrorist attack.
“Martyn’s Law – which we fully support as an organisation – requires a level of security that puts even more cost on top of a budget that was already bursting at the seams.
“With this in mind, it was a choice between calling it a day and watching Oyé drift off into the sunset or return as a ticketed festival.”
The organisers said umbrellas and camping chairs will still be welcome, but BBQs and gazebos will not be permitted. They said they are exploring ways to allow people to bring in their own food and drink.
They also hit back that the decision was based on greed, adding: “We’ve read accusations of this being a ‘cash grab’ or lamenting Oyé’s change into a ‘profit-making festival’ – and we can assure you all that this couldn’t be further from the truth.
“We remain a registered charity and a proudly non-profit organisation. We have just two permanent employees and a range of long-term suppliers and partners, and a Board of Trustees made up of dedicated volunteers.
“Our core team remains – many of whom have worked passionately and tirelessly with the organisation for 15-20 years or more and have been on the journey with me as our festival has grown and blossomed.
“No one wanted the event to remain free more than those who have been involved since the 90s and early 2000s. Paul – our current Artistic Director – joined on a work placement in 1999 and has been blessed to oversee the festival’s growth into the biggest of its kind in the country.
“As a team we accept that there will be some for whom this explanation remains unsatisfactory, and we respect your decision to not buy a ticket.
“We hope you change your mind, and genuinely and sincerely thank you for your support in the past, especially those of you who donated and bought merch to ensure we could remain free for 32 years.
“To those who are joining us on this new adventure – we cannot wait to welcome you back to Sefton Park in June, and we endeavour to put on a festival that will continue to create lifelong memories for you and your loved ones.”