Nominees for the 18th Headies Awards will gather at Vaniti Lagos on Saturday, October 3, 2026, for a nominees’ party ahead of this year’s awards ceremony.

The event, scheduled to begin at 10 pm, will bring together nominated artistes, music industry professionals and other guests as activities surrounding the 18th edition of the Nigerian music awards continue.

According to the event invitation, guests are expected to attend in Afro Glam attire.

The gathering offers an opportunity to celebrate this year’s nominees ahead of the main Headies ceremony, set to take place in Toronto, Canada.

The 18th edition is themed “Africa to the World”, reflecting the organisers’ continued efforts to position the awards within the wider African and international music landscape.

This year’s nominations feature established stars and emerging artistes across categories covering recordings, albums, songwriting, performances and other areas of music production.

Prominent nominees for the 18th Headies include Wizkid, Burna Boy, Davido, Omah Lay, Asake, Ayra Starr, Tiwa Savage, Rema and Adekunle Gold.

FOLA is among the most prominent nominees at this year’s edition, receiving recognition across categories including Album of the Year, Best Male Artiste, Best R&B Album, Best Recording of the Year and Next Rated.

The Next Rated category features Fido, FOLA, Llona, Mavo and Shoday.

In the Song of the Year category, Kunmie’s “Arike”, Poco Lee, Shoday and Rahman Jago’s “Hey Jago”, Ayra Starr’s “Hot Body”, Fido’s “Joy Is Coming”, Asake and Wizkid’s “MMS”, and Davido and Omah Lay’s “With You” are competing for the award.

According to The Headies, only music materials released and distributed on digital streaming platforms between August 1, 2024 and April 30, 2026 were considered for nomination.

The Headies were established in 2006 as the Hip Hop World Awards and have developed into a platform recognising achievements across Nigerian and African music.

The awards recognise artistes alongside producers, songwriters, video directors and other professionals involved in music creation.

The nominees’ gathering at Vaniti forms part of the activities surrounding the 18th edition, giving nominated creatives and industry stakeholders an opportunity to meet and celebrate ahead of the main ceremony in Canada.