Afroplus Fest brought the diaspora to D.C.

For the second year in a row, North America's largest Afro-Caribbean music festival AfroPlus descended on Washington D.C.

When I stepped into the venue, everywhere you looked people were flexing their culture: waving Jamaican flags, dripped out head-to-toe in Lagos-based brand Meji Meji, wearing artist merch, and whining all over the arena. Groups of strangers were constantly “ayyying” and making friends, including a squad of girls who broke into spontaneous screams after realizing they all shared Zambian roots.

This year, after a severe storm knocked down stages the night before—nearly canceling the 3-day event— founder and DMV native Michael Awosanya vowed the show would go on, and AfroPlus delivered.

Thousands turned out repping Ghana, Nigeria, Jamaica, D.C., Baltimore, London, and even Birmingham. As a West Indian from St. Kitts, who holds afrobeats near and dear, I saw firsthand how Afro and Caribbean music is where so many of us find home. Tems, Wizkid, Davido, Spice, Ayra Starr, DJ Tunez, Ruger, Alkaline, Jada Kingdom, and Dexta Daps were just some of the names I kept hearing when asking people who they were most excited to see perform. And even when people weren’t super familiar with a lot of performers on the lineup, they’d smile and tell me they were there for the vibes.

Ahead, check out photos from the 2026 festival and hear directly from the artists and attendees on why missing it simply wasn't an option.