Davido is taking Afrobeats back to Abidjan. The Nigerian superstar has been announced for the 2026 edition of Mother Africa Festival in Côte d’Ivoire, which holds on December 27 and 28 at Marcory Zone 4.
The announcement lands on the festival’s fifth edition, an anniversary run that Davido himself has described as special while urging fans in Côte d’Ivoire to come out in numbers. For an artist whose catalogue has long travelled well across francophone West Africa, the booking makes obvious sense, and it should draw supporters from neighbouring countries as well as Nigerians looking for an end-of-year getaway.
Since launching in Abidjan in 2022, Mother Africa has grown from an ambitious first outing into one of the biggest Afro-cultural gatherings in the region. It blends music, fashion, art and food, and it runs from 2pm deep into the early hours, which makes it a proper marathon for festival-goers. Marcory Zone 4 has been its home from the start, and organisers have worked to position the event as more than a concert, pitching it as a showcase for contemporary African culture.
The festival has also built a reputation for mixing Francophone heavyweights with Afrobeats stars. Last year’s edition, the fourth, featured Asake alongside Maître Gims, Himra and Keblack, and earlier editions have hosted names such as Aya Nakamura, Dadju, Tayc, Fally Ipupa and Ayra Starr. Davido now joins that growing list of Nigerian acts who have found a ready audience in Abidjan’s end-of-year festive season.
Abidjan is already shaping up as a busy concert city this December, with Fally Ipupa slated for the Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny just days before the festival. That makes Mother Africa’s choice of Davido a statement, a bet that Afrobeats can anchor the city’s biggest weekend of the year.
Tickets are available through Tikerama, with prices starting from 10,000 CFA francs. The rest of the 2026 lineup is yet to be confirmed by organisers, so more names are expected in the coming weeks.