The festival doors officially opened at 12 noon on Saturday 15th April 2017 recording well over 5,000 attendees throughout the day and into the night
The festival doors officially opened at 12 noon on Saturday 15th April 2017 recording well over 5,000 attendees throughout the day and into the night at Eko Atlantic, ready for the complete Gidi Fest Experience.
The day’s activities started with exhilarating games of soccer and volleyball between celebrity teams and fans, which saw the participating teams go home with N100,000 cash prizes courtesy of Pepsi and Red Bull. The vendor stalls offered a wide selection of foods, drinks and interesting experiences like live art in the Vortex enclosure and life size board games to keep everybody engaged. It was a fun filled afternoon for friends and family.
The evening’s hosts, Jimmie and Folu Storms, welcomed the audience and called out the first performance of the night, Nneka. The soul/reggae singer held festival goers spell bound as she delivered a stellar performance, having been in Kenya for another festival performance just a week before #GIDIFEST2017, it seemed the energy was right as the audience sang to every tune and was mesmerized by her energy.
Singing sensation, Simi was next on stage, backed by her energetic dancers, she captivated music lovers with her thrilling performance. Mild showers weren’t going to stop the show and exciting new acts like, Falana, Dremo, Mayourkun, Wale Turner, Pryse, BOJ, Fresh L, Cykay, amongst many more took turns to thrill the audience.
From the moment the sun set over the Atlantic, painting an idyllic backdrop for what was gearing up to be a night of world class entertainment, clouds started to gather and circle above the festival with the imminent threat of heavy rain. Rain or shine, the show went on and Niniola, Reekado Banks and Seyi Shay led the charge leaving their bands behind.
As each of them hit the stage, they sent the audience into a frenzy running out from their cover to the stage. The Gidi Squad wasn’t going to let some showers of blessings spoil their fun. Just when it seemed like the rain was going to slow down, the second brigade led by DJ Obi showed up, to turn up. Burna Boy, Davido and Diplo waiting in the wings ready to give the brave crowd what they deserved as their fighting spirit had pushed through. They made it clear Gidi Fest is theirs and they are Gidi Fest.
As soon as he took to the stage, Burna Boy commanded the audience like a conductor as they sung along with him. He surprised his fans by bringing out Skales who features him on his recently released track, Temper. Following suit was rave of the moment, Davido, who picked up where Burna Boy left off and brought the house down with his trademark energy and 30 Billion for the account ringing across the sea of people causing complete fanfare!
Major Lazer front man, Diplo, was the last act of the night and set out with a multitude of heavy beat wrenching sounds and surprised everybody with a few unreleased Remixes of Nigerian favourites Tekno’s ‘Pana’, and Mr Eazi’s ‘Leg Over’. In the blink of an eye, Diplo became Major Lazer, as Walshy Fire appeared on stage and climbed the DJ table. 2 for 1 was definitely more than anybody had bargained for. The duo had fans dancing till the wee hours of the morning and the moment Diplo waved the Nigerian flag up high with pride, it all came together for the culture.
Gidi Fest Co-founder, Teme Banigo says “It was a trying evening with challenges around the rain and its effects on the performances, but it was fulfilling to see the festival close at such a high with thousands having braved the rain and interruptions. It was truly the birth of a tribe, a movement, the #Giditribe! We applaud You!”
“This year was special for so many reasons, I couldn’t even start to count. We had so many acts that were either on tour or starting tours choosing to use #GIDIFEST2017 as their home for the Nigerian leg, including Diplo. Davido sets off on a Nigerian tour in a few weeks and Burna Boy in America later this month. Live music is the biggest revenue generator for musicians globally and #GIDIFEST has become a necessary stop for the global artist wanting to tour Africa. We ARE part of the tour circuit on this continent and always aim to deliver a world class live production”, says Gidi Fest co-founder, Chinedu Okeke.
For those who couldn’t make it to the festival, the show was streamed on Facebook Live to over 200,000 people worldwide. WATCH HERE
ABOUT GIDI FEST
The Gidi Culture Festival (Gidi Fest) was founded by Chin Okeke and Teme Banigo, with the intention of providing live, affordable and accessible entertainment to African youth. Realizing the demand for quality entertainment is not class specific, Gidi Fest works to break down socioeconomic barriers with an entertainment offering that appeals to all youth-minded individuals. This platform curates and represents African music and culture with the goal of exporting our culture to a global audience.
It was sponsored by Afrione and supported by Eko Atlantic, Eko Hotel, Diamond Bank, Pepsi, Red Bull, Mikano, LASAA, Hyperia, Trek Buy Fly, Filmhouse, House of Lunettes, Kenya Airways and Heineken.
90s Baby
Burna Boy
Davido
Diplo
Falana
Nneka
Reekado Banks
Seyi Shay
Simi
Skales
Tay Iwar
The crowd
The stage
Photo Credits: Andrew Eseibo, House of Lunettes, Lasalvy, Studio 24, SD Visuals
