Afrochella is shaping up to be the premiere festival to celebrate African excellence in music, culture, and fashion. The proof isn’t in the pudding but the waakye.

When the event started in 2017, more than 4,000 people attended Afrochella, which was designed to highlight talent in Africa through music and cuisine. In 2018, attendance more than doubled with 10,000 and with Ghana’s Year of Return campaign, 2019 will be epic.

Afrochella ’19 “Diaspora Calling” Photo | Franklin Gyan

Travel Noire reached out to Afrochella’s leadership team and while they’re not budging on its lineup release date set for this November, the team did drop some information on what to expect this year. Here’s what we’ve learned fam:

1. Year of the Return

Afrochella Festival is the official closing event for Ghana’s 2019 Year of Return.

2. This year’s theme is “Diaspora Calling”

According to organizers, Diaspora Calling highlights the process of various African cultures transcending across borders without losing its heritage. Food, music, and art will be celebrated, expressed and explored through the many dimensions Africa’s nations have transcended.

“The African Diaspora has reached and impacted every continent in the world, and this year we are calling a celebration for where it all began,” a news release reads.

Afrochella ’19 “Diaspora Calling” Photo | Franklin Gyan

3. Afrochella Festival

There will be more than 50 live music performances and dozens of vendors selling food, fashion, and jewelry on the official date on Dec. 28. Comedian Young Prince, MC Lolade Olayokun, and Actor Charles Okocha are this year’s host.

4. Afrochella is bigger than a music festival

Organizers have a series of events planned from now until the beginning of the year that focuses on charity and boosting the economy across the diaspora.

Afrochella will be renovating and repainting the Genesis school of orphans through its Afrochella Reads initiative.

Afrochella Feeds’ mission is to bring awareness and improve hunger in
Ghana.

5. Royalty Night

A New Years Gala and awards ceremony is taking place on Jan. 1, 2020. In harmony with the Year Of Return, African Royalty Night will celebrate ancestry in a night of indulgence, elegance and African print, according to organizers.

Afrochella ’19 “Diaspora Calling” Photo | Franklin Gyan

6. Afrochella Tour

There will be a series of tours this year to explore Accra with fellow Afrochellans. The list of events is below.

Dec. 31 Accra Tour and Food Tasting- Visit landmarks in Accra as well as a food crawl experience with authentic Ghanaian cuisine.

Jan. 1, 2020 Cape Coast Tour To Cape Coast Castle – Learn and explore the Slave Castles of Cape-Coast, followed by a nerve-wracking walk on the famous rope-canopies elevated over the Kakum Forest Reserve.

Jan. 2, 2020 Shai Hills Reserve + Royal Senchi – Spend time with animals at this nature reserve, followed by hours of relaxation at the remarkable Royal Senchi.

Jan. 3, 2020 Aburi Gardens Tour + Boti Waterfall Swim – Tour to Ghana’s Eastern Region. Stroll then relax at Ghana’s romantic Aburi Gardens and twin waterfalls in Boti.

Afrochella 2019