After over 15 years of celebrating Ankara across Los Angeles and other major cities in North America, Ankara Festival, founded by Peter Lentini, is expanding to the African continent with the launch of Ankara Festival Africa (AFA) in Lagos in 2027.

The African franchise is being led by three Nigerian industry professionals — Laura Udoh, a media sales and marketing expert; Isi Atagemen, a renowned fashion icon with over a decade of experience building a bespoke couture fashion brand and hosting runway shows across Nigeria; and Xavier Akinyemi, an award-winning marketing and brand expert whose work spans financial services, technology, FMCG, and other sectors.

Together, the franchisees are bringing the platform to Africa with a shared commitment to preserving and celebrating Ankara as an important part of the continent’s cultural story, beginning with Nigeria.

From everyday fashion to weddings, religious celebrations, festivals, and major social occasions, Ankara has crossed generations, social classes, and changing fashion trends. It has moved from the tailor’s shop to the designer’s studio, from clothing to accessories, art, interiors, and contemporary lifestyle, while retaining a strong connection to African identity.

Ankara Festival Africa is being created to give this story a bigger stage and is expected to bring together designers, fashion and creative entrepreneurs, artisans, artists, historians, cultural practitioners, brands, collectors, entertainers, and consumers for an immersive celebration of everything Ankara.

It will provide a platform for dialogue, exchange, exhibition, entertainment, commerce, and storytelling, while creating opportunities for established and emerging creatives to reinterpret Ankara in ways that speak to both its heritage and its future.

The 2027 festival in Lagos is envisioned as the largest gathering and display of everything Ankara, bringing together the worlds of fashion, lifestyle, art, design, history, entertainment, and commerce.

The festival will create a platform for connecting established designers and emerging creatives with brands, artisans, entrepreneurs, cultural practitioners, and consumers.

Speaking at a press conference held at Lagos Jetski Ikoyi, Lagos, the convener of the Ankara Festival in Los Angeles, Peter Lentini, explained that the forthcoming festival was conceived to promote African culture and indigenous fabrics while also enhancing tourism potential.

Lentini noted that the festival, billed to hold in Lagos, will incorporate not only fashion but music and art.

He said manufacturers and small businesses will have the opportunity to rent booths to showcase various African prints.

He stressed that the decision to launch in Lagos reflects the city’s central role in Africa’s creative, fashion, entertainment, and commercial energy.

“It is a fitting home for a platform that intends to celebrate where Ankara has come from while exploring where it can go next,” he said

Commenting on the African expansion, the Founder of Ankara Festival, stated that for over 15 years, Ankara Festival has provided a platform for people to celebrate Ankara and the culture, creativity, and community that surround it in North America.

She said bringing the festival to Africa is a natural and exciting next chapter for the platform, saying “Africa is at the heart of the Ankara story, and we are delighted to have the right partners to take this vision forward on the continent.”

For the African franchisees, the opportunity is particularly significant at a time when Africa’s cultural identity and creative expression are attracting increasing global attention.