Festivals and concerts have been happening every weekend for a bit over a month now. Over two days last weekend, festival goers enjoyed the local and international lineup at the All Waves Festival at the Côte D'Or Complex. The headliners were the Nigerian singers Ckay and Oxlade, on Saturday and Kalash and Willy William, two French singers, were on stage the next day. The lineup included other international artists like Phyllisia Ross, Stony, Blacko, DJ's Masterdream, Phil and Tbilz, Malaika Salatis Dance Group and Beba Storm. Local artists were represented by Blakkayo, Big Frankii, Jasmine Toulouse or the group Joker Kartel.
The festival was a huge gamble for the organizers and it was an astounding success. You could tell the crowd had very much missed this type of live music event. So much so that the organizers have been announcing a few surprises. Mauritius, pre-COVID, had positioned itself as a hub for culture by holding concerts with international artists and the All Waves Festival certainly consolidated the island's regional appeal as a cultural destination.
If you're a music lover, get ready because the next few months are going to be very busy. With summer and the holiday season ahead of us, a few music festivals have already been announced and there will surely be a few more on the agenda down the line. On October 2, Mauritius will welcome the Ivorian reggae singer Tiken Jah Fakoly, who remain an icon across generations, who will headline at the Risin'up South festival in the south, in Beau Vallon. Local artists, including the OSB Crew, The Prophecy, Oeson and Justice Lecoq will perform as opening act. An appointment not to be missed for reggae fans.
