AFROSOUL has postponed its Brisbane and Auckland events until early 2027, with organisers revealing the move will allow the festival to secure a major new headliner.
The African and Afrobeats festival had been scheduled to take place at Auckland’s GO Media Stadium on Saturday, October 10th, before making its Australian debut at Eatons Hill in Brisbane on Sunday, October 11th.
Founders, Nigerian-New Zealand UFC Middleweight Champion Isreal Adesanya and entertainment entrepreneur Mitch Lowe, announced the change directly to fans, explaining that a previously unannounced headliner had prompted the decision to shift the dates.
“We were going to surprise you with a secret headliner in coming weeks, but as it’s transpired, the dates just aren’t working and they’re asking us to push out,” Lowe said.
“We’re not cancelling. The easiest way to put it is that we’re not willing to do anything other than the best — and you’ll understand why when we drop this with a new date and this headliner. It’s just going to smoke everything you’ve seen from us.”
The festival’s already announced lineup will carry over to the new dates, including Fireboy DML, Omah Lay, Timbaland and Stefflon Don, with the incoming headliner set to join the bill.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
Full 2027 dates for Brisbane and Auckland, along with the identity of the new headliner and further programming, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Existing tickets will remain valid for the rescheduled events, with ticket holders who can no longer attend able to request a refund via this form.
While the main festival dates are moving, AFROSOUL’s Soul Wave dance competition will still go ahead as planned. Organisers have also doubled the prize money, with a total prize pool of $17,500 available in each location.
AFROSOUL was created by Adesanya and Lowe as a celebration of African and Afrobeats culture, combining live music with food, dance and cultural activations.
The festival made its debut in Auckland in 2025 with Burna Boy as headliner, while its planned 2026 edition was set to mark AFROSOUL’s first expansion across the Tasman to Australia.
Speaking when the Australian edition was first announced, Adesanya said the festival was ready to expand beyond New Zealand.
“We started off local, now we’re going global,” he said. “Feeding souls through music, dance, food, and much more. There’s nothing quite like the energy felt at AFROSOUL — the sights, sounds, tastes, and movement come together to share a true slice of Africa, all on the other side of the world.”
