Celebrate the beauty, strength, and spirit of the African Diaspora. Explore this year's AWF® lineup below.
Friday, July 18
- AWF® Live Art Gallery
- 5:00pm | Live Visual Art - Art Show
- 5:00pm | Detroit Institute of Arts - Arts & Crafts
- Heritage Works
- 6:00pm | Drum Roll Workshop - African Drum & Dance
- 7:00pm | Ibu Diouf Dance Workshop - African Dance
- VIP Area
- 4:30pm | The People Mover - Podcast
- 5:00pm | Trap Yoga Massage & Bodywork - Physical Therapy
- 5:30pm | WJZZ Live - Radio
- 6:00pm | Headliner Talk - Interview
- 8:30pm | The Container Live - Multi-Genre
- Main Stage
- 5:20pm | Drum Procession by Heritage Work - African Drum
- 6:30pm | Festival Commencement - Program
- 7:00pm | LJ Reynolds & The Dramatics - Motown, Soul
- 9:00pm | Urban Art Orchestra with DeSean Jones - Orchestra
- Pyramid Stage
- 6:00pm | Festival Feud - Game Show
- 7:30pm | Vibes Uplifted ft. Asaka The Renegade - Hip Hop
- 9:30pm | Nights at the Nile: COMPLETD - DJ
- AfroStyle Stage
- 6:00pm | Monique Ella Rose - R&B/Soul
- 7:30pm | DSA Dance Department - Hip Hop
- 8:30pm | AWF® Merch Giveaway - Giveaway
- Jamii Village
- 5:00pm | Wise Guys Chess Club - Open Chess Games
- 5:00pm | DPSCD Make-N-Take - Arts & Craft
- 5:30pm | Radio Live - Radio
- 6:30pm | Tammerrian Institute - Martial Arts
Saturday, July 19
- AWF® Live Art Gallery
- 2:00pm | Live Visual Art - Art Show
- 2:00pm | Detroit Institute of Arts - Arts & Crafts
- Heritage Works
- 11:00am | Deborah Henderson - Yoga
- 12:00pm | Dana Thompson - Hustle
- 1:00pm | Karen Prawl - Dance
- 3:00pm | Lisa McCall - Afro-Cuban
- 4:30pm | Open Air Dance - African Drum & Dance
- 6:00pm | Heritage Works Drum Roll - African Drum
- 7:00pm | Papa Assane Konte - African Drum & Dance
- 9:00pm | Trap Yoga: Yin Night - Yoga
- VIP Area
- 2:00pm | Trap Yoga Massage & Bodywork - Physical Therapy
- 3:00pm | Black Legacy Adv Coalition - Panel Discussion
- 6:00pm | Akissi Live! - Food Demo
- 8:30pm | Headliner Talk - Interview
- Main Stage
- 4:00pm | Welcome
- 4:05pm | Nanou Djiapou - African Drum & Dance
- 5:00pm | Charity - R&B, Soul
- 6:30pm | Herb The Artist - Orchestra
- 8:15pm | Midnight Star - Disco, R&B
- 9:45pm | Larry Lee & The Back In The Day Band - Classic R&B, Soul
- Pyramid Stage
- 2:30pm | Kenneth Wallace Duet - Acoustic
- 4:00pm | Club Zlight: DJ Zlight & Friends - Multi-Genre
- 6:30pm | Homie Hangz Live - DJ Show
- 9:30pm | Night at the Nile: Killa Squid - DJ Show
- AfroStyle Stage
- 2:00pm | Fyutch - Children’s Hip Hop
- 3:30pm | AWF Merch Giveaway - Giveaway
- 5:15pm | AWF AfroStyle Fashion Show - Fashion Show
- 7:00pm | Niko Noir - R&B, Soul
- 10:00pm | Paul Beaubran
- Jamii Village
- 12:00pm | DPSCD Make-N-Take - Arts & Craft
- 3:00pm | Wise Guys Chess Club - Open Chess Games
- 5:00pm | DPSCD Make-N-Take - Arts & Craft
- 5:00pm | Tammerrian Institute - Martial Arts
Sunday, July 20
- AWF® Live Art Gallery
- 2:00pm | Live Visual Art - Art Show
- 2:00pm | Detroit Institute of Arts - Arts & Crafts
- Heritage Works
- 11:00am | Liturgical Dance - Dance
- 1:30pm | Heritage Works Drum Roll - African Drum
- 3:00pm | Dance Workshop - Dance
- 4:30pm | Open Air Dance - African Drum & Dance
- 6:00pm | Heritage Works Drum Roll - African Drum
- 7:30pm | Idy Ciss Masterclass - African Dance
- VIP Area
- 2:00pm | Trap Yoga Massage & Bodywork - Physical Therapy
- 3:00pm | Black Legacy Adv Coalition - Panel Discussion
- 5:30pm | Headliner Talk - Interview
- 6:00pm | Akissi Live! - Food Demo
- Main Stage
- 2:00pm | Liturgical Dance - African Drum & Dance
- 3:30pm | Darius James - Gospel, Hymn
- 5:00pm | Isis Damil - Jazz, R&B
- 6:30pm | Sounds of Blackness - Orchestra
- 8:15pm | Temate Institute - African Drum & Dance
- Pyramid Stage
- 2:00pm | Akebulan Village Martial Arts - Martial Arts
- 4:30pm | Synergy Samba - Brazilian Samba
- 6:00pm | Afrobeat & Djembe - DJ, Acoustic
- 8:00pm | DJ ZLight - DJ Show
- 9:00pm | Night At The Nile: Sheefy McFly - DJ Show
- AfroStyle Stage
- 1:00pm | Fyutch Children’s - Hip Hop
- 2:30pm | Stepping in Success: Youth Stepshow - Youth Competition
- 5:30pm | Paul Beaubran - Haitian, Kompo
- 7:00pm | Brownchild - Contemporary Jazz
- 8:30pm | Julian Joel - Country, Blues
- Jamii Village
- 12:00pm | DPSCD Make-N-Take - Arts & Craft
- 3:00pm | Wise Guys Chess Club - Open Chess Games
- 5:00pm | Tammerrian Institute - Martial Arts
AWF VIP Experience
Enjoy backstage access, giveaways, exclusive festival seating and bar access in our VIP experience. Live food demonstrations from Akissi, massage & body work with Trap Yoga, headliner pre-show discussions and much more.
Live Art Gallery
Visit our underground Live Art Gallery featuring Detroit's finest visual artists. Come see our artists finish work in progress and purchase original work from our incredible artist. This site also features the Detroit Institute of Arts Quilt-Making Workshop where youth are invited to create their own quilts.
AWF AfroStyle Fashion Show
AfroStyle Stage | Saturday at 5:15 PM
Don't miss the return of our fashion show presented by DUFFE bringing flavor to the AfroStyle Stage Saturday. Ripping the runway with special guests performers and unique fashion brands.
African Safari
Throughout Festival Grounds | Friday at 5PM-11PM. Saturday and Sunday at 11AM-11PM
Step into the wild at the African World Festival's brand-new African Safari attraction! This immersive experience features life-like safari animals that bring the magic of the savanna right to Detroit. Perfect for kids, families, and adults, it’s an exciting photo opportunity and a fun, educational journey through nature.