It’s summertime again and Lagos air is already buzzing with adrenaline-fuelled parties. While weekend raves dominate the scene, the entertainment capital also thrives midweek with Monday’s Obi’s House lounge, Tuesday salsa nights at Dulles, karaoke Wednesdays at Silk, Thursday comedy at Pop landmark, and Friday Jazz soirees at Gabi.
With only a few weeks left, here are some top event picks to enjoy a thrilling youthful summer experience this year. These selections are carefully curated for a dynamic audience, from budget city explorers to nightlife lovers seeking larger-than-life merriment.
Insert nights
Pulsing with high-energy DJ sets, Insert Nights (@Inserts.wts) returns today (Saturday) as one of the city’s prime dance havens for youngsters, especially zoomers and millennials. Expect fast-paced Afro-pop, Cruise Beats, Afro House, and more, powering Lagos’ signature leg-work.
Hosted at the Clubhouse, VI, the Insert Night’s monthly dancefloors double as cardio sessions. Popular disc jockeys like Khalipha, Axara, Farati, and Rania are set to headline its summer edition with vibe-sputtering African EDM sets.
Mainland block party
Lagos’ biggest block party, Mainland Block Party (@mainlandblockparty), is a must-stop for music lovers and tourists alike. It’s a large garden party packed with dozens of thrilling disc jockeys and over 1,000 partygoers dancing from arrival to exit.
After recently debuting in New York at a 1500-capacity headlined by South African turntable whiz Maphorisa, the monthly party returns to Ikeja (today) with its special summer edition themed, “Respect The DJ”.
Group Therapy – Lagos, Ibadan
One of Lagos’ popular progressive EDM and House music parties, Group Therapy (@our.grouptherapy) is a distinct rave experience pulsing with unorthodox fashion, moody stage lights, and banging pan-African DJ sets. Typically hosted in warehouses or creative studios across the city’s high-brow suburbs, the bi-monthly dance party powers the city’s underground nightlife.
After iconic Zimbabwean DJ Nitefreak headlined its just-concluded two-year anniversary edition, last week, the rave travels to Ibadan September 5 for its Greenlight Fashion Room outstation rave.
Our Daybreeze
A conclave of fashion’s forwardest, this rooftop day party peaks as one of the best seaside youth friendly experiences for the summer. Think cupcakes, wine, Afro-House, Hip Hop and party-leaning Nigerian Pop. The monthly event is a tastemaker’s haven sweltering as a top fun spot for ambiverts.
The party returns September 7 for its special summer-themed edition headlined by its resident Disc Jockey, Crowd Kontroller. Set at the Maison Farenheit, it’s a lively and energetic dance party to soundtrack your summer.
Group Collective
A 24-hour escape to Tarkwa Bay beachfront and a continuous spin of the most compulsive EDM jams in rotation across three continents (Europe, Africa, and North America), the Group Collective rave ranks as one of the most immersive dance music parties all summer.
With pruning psychedelic pop, sultry South African 3-step, and hypnotic Afro-House music, the rave returned this summer, last Saturday, pulling at least 300 people under coastal moonlights and carousing cruise.
Chunesday Africa
On Tuesdays in Alimosho, Lagos’ most populated suburb, nearly 2,000 active partygoers gather for six hours of dancing to either Cruise Beat’s raspy ‘loose-format’ African electro pop or Afrobeats’ latest hits from the previous weekend.
It’s a behemoth of experiences, from open-mic performances, to charismatic hype, and non-stop raving. Founded by acclaimed talent manager Wickedest Dino (Ice Prince), Chunesday has become the nightlife gem of Lagos mainland.
Afro Rockstars
Founded by Nigerian rockstar Clayrocksu, this boisterous monthly rock music concert (@Afrorockstars) melds riff-heavy, growlish, exciting energetic performances from talented acts shaping Nigeria’s rock music renaissance.
With its summer edition holding tonight (Saturday) at Citizen-Resto Bar, Victoria Island, the banging tempos and intriguing Afro-Rock fusions are savory recipes to quench one’s adventure-wetting appetite.
Dirty Sexy Rave
The thrilling Lagos youths confidence merchants — aka Vogue Boys — hosts this monthly utopian youth escape, coloured with lots of water-gun battles and woozy Nigerian pop.
After touring Milan two months ago for a special edition of their summer cookout series, they’re completing the season with their specially curated Dirty Sexy Rave edition next Friday at D-Code Lounge in Lekki. Their lineup includes the riveting Nigerian street-dance music icon DJ Cora as well as acclaimed disc jockeys Ifeme CS, Yanfss, and more.
