Nigeria: Diplo, Burna Boy and Davido to headline Gidi Fest

The annual festival of arts and music, which routinely takes place during the Easter period, features performances from DJs, live bands, as well as upcoming and established artists.

This year, Diplo – a Grammy-winning DJ, songwriter and producer – will headline the festival alongside Burna Boy and Davido.

“Having Diplo headline alongside Davido and Burna Boy makes a statement for both the festival and where African music is today,” festival co-founder Chin Okeke said. “This puts Gidi Fest on the international festival calendar and will increase the interest from other international acts to come to Nigeria.”

Last year, the event featured an all local line-up. Pop act D'banj was the solo headliner while Tiwa Savage, Phyno, Poe, Funbi, Adekunle Gold, Yemi Alade and Small Doctor all put in supporting performances.

Diplo, short for Diplodocus, founded the Mad Decent record label in 2005 and has produced music for Beyoncé, Usher and Madonna, among other artists. With fellow DJ/producer Skrillex, Diplo formed the duo Jack Ü in 2013. The pair won two Grammys in 2016. Diplo's forthcoming appearance at Gidi Fest is part of a five-city Africa tour that includes stops at Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Kampala and Johannesburg.

Diplo's co-headliners, Davido and Burna Boy, both released EPs last year. While Davido's Son of Mercy project was released under Sony, Burna Boy's Redemption was released on the artist's own Spaceship Records. Other artists expected to perform at this year's event include Seyi Shay, Reekado Banks, Sauti Sol, Vanessa Mdee, Simi, Niniola, DJ Obi, DJ Neptune and Cynthia Morgan.

Festival tickets start at 2500 naira ($7). For more information click here.