Afrofest opens today and continues through the weekend at Woodbine Park

Celebrating 37 years of championing African music in the city, not-for-profit community-based organization Music Africa brings Afrofest back to Woodbine Park for another year of culture and music in the heart of Toronto this weekend.

From Friday, July 4 to Sunday, July 6, the free multi-stage event will feature artists covering a wide range of Afro-Caribbean music genres, including Afrobeat, Afropop, Amapiano, Soukous, Makossa, Rai, Reggae, Rumba, and many more.

Woodbine Park is located at 1695 Queen St. E.

The Friday, July 4, performances and other festival events will take place between 6 to 10 p.m.

On Saturday, July 5, the festival starts at 12 p.m. and runs until 10 p.m.,

On Sunday, July 6, the festival takes place between noon and 9 p.m.

The three-day event will feature music from prominent Afro-Caribbean performers, vendors, and Artist Development Workshops to help upcoming artists learn important tools of the trade.

There will be both a Main Stage for performers and a second Baobab Stage during this year’s Afrofest.

The festival will also feature a vibrant Afrofest Marketplace with more than 100 vendors offering a variety of foods and merchandise. There will also be a Children’s Creative Village featuring a number of activities for kids including storytelling and face painting.

Established in 1990, Music Africa is one of the oldest organizations celebrating African music in Canada through its many activities and events, including the Black History Month Concert Series.

In 2008, the organization received the Heritage Award from international publication Planet Africa.

For 37 years, Afrofest has been projecting diverse expressions of African music and culture in a welcoming festival setting – with a mission to ignite community spirit and develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for Africa’s cultural diversity.

Sponsors for this year’s Afrofest include Heritage Canada, the Toronto Arts Council, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts.

Here is the performance schedule for this weekend’s Afrofest:

Friday, July 4; The Main Stage at Woodbine Park

The festival opens on Friday, July 4, in the evening with performances taking place on The Main Stage only. The event will be hosted by Mr. Activated from Niger; MC Bonde from Zimbabwe; and AJ Styles from Nigeria.

The event’s first performance begins with DJ Fizz from Tanaznia at 6 p.m.; then there will a performance by the Jean Assamoa from the Ivory Coast at 6:15 p.m. DJ Lucita, from Kenya, will then take the stage at 6:45 p.m.; followed by DJ Havil, from Nigeria, at 8 p.m.; and DJ D Ommy, from Tanzania, at 9 p.m.

Saturday, July 5; The Main Stage and Baobab Stage 

The festivities continue on Saturday, July 6, with performances on both The Main Stage and Baobab Stage.

The hosts of the events on Saturday are Danae Part from Jamaica and George Chukwu (Aka- Bluetooth) from Nigeria on The Main Stage.

MC Bonde and Mr. Activated will be hosting the Baobab Stage.

The Main Stage: Saturday, July 5

On The Main Stage, scheduled performers are DJ Flowmaster, from Kenya,  at noon: African Drums and Art Crafts at 1 p.m.; Lerie Sankofa, from Ivory Coast, at 2:45 p.m.; Amadou Kienou and Dicko Fils, from Burkina Faso, at 3:45 p.m.; Kibra, from Eritrea, at 5 p.m.; Lorraine Klassen, from South Africa, at 6:10 p.m.; Lydol, from Cameroon, at 7:30 p.m.; Salatiel, Cameroon, at 7:50 p.m.; and Kidum Kibido Bodaboda, from Kenya, at 9 p.m.

Baobab Stage; Saturday, July 5

On the Baobab Stage, a number of performances will be taking place on Saturday.

The performances start at 1 p.m. with DJ King Bizzy from Ghana. Next up will be Mussi Kibaya, from Kenya/Rwanda, at 4 p.m. Rachel Show, from DR Congo, is at 4:15 p.m.; Slim Breezy, from Liberia, performs at 4:30 p.m.; Baraka, from Tanzania, is at 4:45 p.m.; Mayaya, from Haiti, is at 5 p-.m.;  and Hamz, from Nigeria, is at 5:15 p.m.

At 6:15 p.m., the Baobab Stage will hold the AFROFEST Karaoke at 5:30 p.m., followed the Fashion Show at 6:15 p.m. and the Dance-off at 6:45 p.m.

At 7:30 p.m., AJ Styles, from Nigeria, will take the stage along with DJ Havil, from Nigeria, and RevBoy, from Uganda. Performances on the Baobab Stage wrap up on Saturday with Ghana’s Beenie Gunter taking the stage at 8:15 p.m.

Sunday, July 6: The Main Stage 

On the final day of the event, there will be a number of performances and shows on the Main Stage. Returning as hosts on this day will be George Chukwu and Danae Part.

DJ Biggy, from Ethiopia, kicks the performances at noon; followed by Agaba Masquerade by My Roots Foundation, from Nigeria, at 1 p.m. The next performers will be the multinational Bantou Saisa at 2:15 p.m.; the Tich Maredza Band at 3:30 p.m.; the Razalution Band, from Jamaica, at 4:45 p.m.; Kevin Florez, from Columbia, at 6:15 p.m.; and Shina Peters, from Nigeria, at 8 p.m.

Sunday, July 6: Baobab Stage

MC Bonde and MC Ebone will be hosts on the Baobab Stage on Sunday.

Scheduled to take the stage are Deejay Kathy, from Uganda, at 12 p.m.; DJ Scar, from Haiti, at 1 p.m.; DJ Freez, from Kenya, at 2:30 p.m.; AFROFEST Karaoke at 4 p.m.; Zeamat, from Gambia, at 4:45 p.m.; Young Cake, from Jamaica, at 5 p.m.; P Bay, from Ghana, at 5:15 p.m.; Rose Shiku, from Kenya, at 5:30 p.m.; Mic Truth, from Ghana, at 5:45 p.m.; the Fashion Show and Dance-off starting at 6 p.m. and 6:35 p.m. respectively; Leggo, from Cameroon, at 7:20 p.m.; DOLOTHEGIFTED, from Angola, at 7:40 p.m.; and Silla, from Ghana, at 8:05 p.m.

For more information on this year’s Afrofest, please go to https://www.afrofest.ca/