Davido announces landmark London festival scheduled for August 2026

Davido has announced his first-ever festival in London, where he will not just be headlining, but also arranging the entire day's lineup.

The Grammy-nominated artist made the announcement on X (formerly Twitter), revealing that Davido & Friends Festival will take place at Crystal Palace Bowl on Friday, August 14th. He confirmed it will be his only outdoor show in London this summer.

Presale tickets go live on March 26th at 10 am GMT, with general sale following on March 27th at the same time.

The festival is part of Palace Bowl Presents, a brand-new series at the iconic Crystal Palace Bowl running from July 31st to August 16th. The series features a rotating lineup of global headliners across multiple dates within that time period.

For example, gospel heavyweights Tasha Cobbs and Kirk Franklin are among those already announced and will be headlining on the 2nd of August.

Davido's date on August 14th is advertised as a UK festival exclusive show, with the rest of that day's lineup to be announced, arranged by the artist himself.

The "& Friends" branding has naturally fueled speculation about potential guest appearances, though Davido has offered no hints on who those friends might be.

The venue itself adds a bit of significant weight to the announcement. Crystal Palace Bowl, established in 1961, is one of London's most iconic open-air stages. It is a natural amphitheatre capable of holding up to 15,000 people, with the stage facing an ornamental lake. It has hosted some of the most celebrated acts in British festival history, and as of the time of writing, no Nigerian artist has headlined the venue.

Looking back at Davido's recent trajectory, his fifth studio album, 5ive, released in 2025, earned critical acclaim and cemented his status as a leading global Afrobeats artist. 

The album's standout track, 'With You', featuring Omah Lay, surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify and earned him a Grammy nomination. Davido & Friends Festival is the latest move in what has been a carefully constructed global campaign.

The full lineup, when announced, is expected to attract significant attention given the headliner's weight and the scale of the event.

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