Israel Adesanya Is Bringing His AFROSOUL Festival to Australia for the First Time

The AFROSOUL festival, co-founded by Nigerian-New Zealand UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya and entrepreneur Mitch Lowe, is expanding to Australia for the first time in 2026. After a debut in 2025 with Burna Boy, the 2026 festival will take place in Auckland, New Zealand, on Saturday, October 10th, followed by a second event in Brisbane, Australia, on Sunday, October 11th. Adesanya stated, "We started off local, now we’re going global." The festival aims to "curate a world-class African and Afrobeats celebration for the Australian diaspora while welcoming audiences from every background," featuring artists like Fireboy DML, Omah Lay, and Timbaland, alongside a dance competition and food village. Tickets for the general public go on sale Thursday, July 23rd at 5pm AEST.