Lagos Owned December: Detty December Fest Ends 2025 On A Global High Note
By IKE UZOR-NZUBECHI
DETTY December Festival 2025 shut down Lagos in unforgettable style, closing its month-long showcase of music, culture, and spectacle at Ilubirin, Ilubirin-Lagos, on 29 December 2025. Branded ‘Africa’s Real Summer’, the festival ran from 7 to 29 December and peaked across four headline days that drew massive crowds and global attention.
The event was led by American rap heavyweights Busta Rhymes and Gunna, while Africa’s biggest hitmakers carried the cultural core. Wizkid, Tiwa Savage, Shenseea, Phyno, Fave, Fave, Fave, Juma Jux, Qing Madi, and Diamond Platnumz delivered standout sets that kept fans on their feet night after night.
The festival opened on 7 December with an ambitious theatrical display featuring Aerial Ballerinas, signalling a shift from concert to curated experience. Nigerian stars Wande Coal, Young Jonn, Ice Prince, Ice Prince, Darey, Shoday, and Jerry Shaffer lit up the grand opening night, setting the tone for a calendar of uninterrupted energy.
The festival gained institutional validation after partnering with the Federal Ministry of Art and Culture, with Minister Hannatu Musa Musawa describing it as a cultural milestone driving creative diplomacy and tourism inflows. Livespot360 Founder & Group CEO, Deola Art Alade, said Lagos had proven its capacity for global-scale December programming, while Darey Art Alade, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, noted that artist and audience reception confirmed the festival’s authenticity and creative intent.
The 2025 edition further cemented Detty December Fest as a leading entertainment and tourism export for Nigeria and West Africa.
