Nigeria has maintained a prominent position on the Afro Nation Portugal line-up since the festival debuted in 2019. Hence, following the organisers unveiling of its first wave of performers for the seventh edition, scheduled to hold from June 9 to 11, 2027, at Praia da Rocha beach in Portimão, Algarve, Portugal, it announced Nigerian music stars Davido and Rema, alongside Congolese music star Fally Ipupa as headliners.
 
The three artistes were announced on Wednesday, September 23, describing them as “three giants of African music.” The trio had previously performed at the festival. Davido appeared in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2025 editions, while Rema headlined in 2024 and Fally Ipupa made main-stage appearances that same year.
  
Also included in the performers list are Nigerian acts such as Omah Lay, Victony, both billed for the main stage, and Odeal. Others are Jamaican dancehall stars Shenseea and Valiant; Guyanese dancehall star Bamby, Tanzania musician Rayvanny; and Guadeloupean bouyon artiste Miimii KDS, who is known for her tracks Sé Miimii and In Di Corner, with South Gidi (the live project from DJ Tunez and DJ Maphorisa featuring Wizkid and Mavo) closing out the final night.
  
The festival’s amapiano-focused Piano People stage will be led by Kabza De Small, with support from TxC, Dlala Thukzin, Young Stunna, Zee Nxumalo and others. The Afrotronic Takeover, the festival’s African electronic music showcase, also returns, featuring Caiiro, Djeff, Jamiie, Aniko and JNR SA.
 
Afro Nation Portugal has hosted a string of major Nigerian acts, including Burna Boy, Olamide, Tiwa Savage, Ayra Starr, Fireboy DML, Adekunle Gold, Wande Coal, Young Jonn, Victony and P-Square.
  
The festival has grown considerably since its debut. Its fifth edition in 2025 drew more than 40,000 attendees from 180 countries, with a lineup that included Burna Boy, Tems, Mary J. Blige, Davido and Booba.
  
Beyond Portugal, Afro Nation has since expanded to Ghana, Puerto Rico, Miami and Detroit, but the Portugal edition remains its flagship gathering. This year’s edition, the sixth, wrapped in July with Wizkid and Asake leading the lineup, alongside Burna Boy, who launched his album, No Sign of Weakness, from the festival’s beach stage in 2025. Uncle Waffles headlined the Piano People stage, with Gunna and Kehlani appearing as special guests.
  
The 2027 edition marks a scheduling shift for the festival, which typically runs in July. This time, the event moves roughly a month earlier, to early June. The main programme will be bookended by an opening party on June 8 and a closing event on June 12.
  
For Rema, the 2027 booking continues a strong run internationally, arriving on the back of his Grammy-nominated album HEIS and recent singles Ozeba and Baby (Is It A Crime). For Davido, it follows the release of his new album Oriadé and comes after his three-night homecoming residency at the remodel National Theatre in December.
 
Fally Ipupa’s return after main-stage appearances in recent years, including 2024, arrives as the Congolese rumba star marks 20 years in music, bringing his blend of rumba and contemporary African pop back to the festival’s biggest stage.