13-day showcase features over 700 artists at 6 Montreal concert venues, 36 FREE concerts
Running from July 8 to 20, Montreal’s 39th Festival International Nuits d’Afrique will be
joyous, multilayered and authentic, which is as equally fitting a description for the Franco-Brazilian artist, Flavia Coelho, whose concert will kick off the festival, as it is for the incomparable Meiway, heading the closing concert.
True to its mission, this year’s festival will be showcasing the best of African, Caribbean and Latin American music. Over the course of 13 days, 120 concerts and activities featuring over 700 artists from some 30 countries will be livening up 6 concert venues, not to mention the two free outdoor stages in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles. After listening to hundreds of concerts throughout the year, particularly during the Cabarets Acoustiques and the Syli d’Or events at Club Balattou, and participating in international gatherings of professional artists, Festival International Nuits d’Afrique is presenting a balanced and varied program that reflects today’s world music scene. Be it Gnawa rhythms by such artists as Saïd Mesnaoui and Bab L’Bluz, rousing afrobeat produced by Femi Kuti or Aunty Rayzor, colourful cumbia by the likes of Raíz Viva and KillaBeatMaker, or Baz Konpa’s kompa and Blaiz Fayah’s shatta, Nuits d’Afrique is privileged to witness the continuous evolution of world music and the globalization of rhythms.
A launching pad for local artists and a gateway to North America for those from abroad, Festival International Nuits d’Afrique continues to contribute in the development, promotion and spread of world music.
13 DAYS OF INDOOR SHOWS | 8 SERIES
6 VENUES
From night to night, venue to venue, series to series, one musical universe follows another thanks to the tremendous creativity that each artist brings to the stage. From tender moments to bursts of pure energy, from intriguing discoveries to stirring performances, from traditional rhythms to techno parties, audiences will experience every emotion and travel the world without needing a visa!
In the GRANDS ÉVÉNEMENTS TD series, the radiant and enigmatic Flavia Coelho’s concert will provide a definite Brazilian flavour as she opens this 39th edition. Another great artist you won’t want to miss is Soul Bang’s, Guinea’s star of the West African R&B scene!
The NUITS D’AFRIQUE SOUND SYSTEM series has some particularly exciting events in store that will feature some brand-new collaborations. You will be treated to a performance by Cosmovision and guest artist El Gato Negro, as well as to a triple feast bringing together Aunty Rayzor, Maya Kamaty and Molyness, who will deliver a powerful and immersive show under the SAT’s Dôme.
Here are just some of the amazing shows we have lined up for you at our indoor venues… Under the banner of GLOBAL BEAT, you will get to experience the slam poetry of South African spoken word artist, Stogie T, or classical Arabic poetry set to dub with Sarāb. Marvel at the versatile kora’s PRESTIGE with Toumany Kouyaté and Zal Sissokho, or Noumoucounda Cissoko.
Discover exciting RÉVÉLATIONS, whether it be Fulu Miziki Kolektiv, with its unique Congolese rumba-techno-punk or Sahad’s funk-sabar fusion.
The indispensable INCONTOURNABLES series will have you dancing to La Tribu Salsa Band’s irresistible rhythms and Benkadi’spercussive prowess.
Check out the VOIX DU MONDE series that reflects the diversity of voices from around the world, and let yourself be carried away by Daby Touré’s desert blues or Jean Jean Roosevelt’s folk-pop sound, influenced by Vodou traditions.
And, as always, the sensational encounters in the ÉTOILES NUITS D’AFRIQUE series are guaranteed to be full of surprises.
6 DAYS OF FREE OUTDOOR EVENTS | JULY 15 TO 20
The Quartier des Spectacles’ Parterre and Esplanade Tranquille
SPECTACULAR SHOWS ON TWO OUTDOOR STAGES
Festivalgoers can’t wait for Village des Nuits d’Afrique to open its gates once again. This designated space is well named as it is much more than just an event site, it’s an inclusive gathering place where the sharing of cultures can be fully experienced. Browse the Marché Tombouctou for great bargains, try some bissap while strolling along the Promenade des Saveurs, join the intimate Cabaret Nuits d’Afrique gatherings hosted by engaging artists, dance your heart out to a DJ’s rhythms during the Escales Tropicales events, or head to the Village des Enfants RADIO-CANADA for some face painting and family fun.
Village des Nuits d’Afrique is always an exciting place to be!
36 FREE CONCERTS!
And, of course, there will also be thirty-six free concerts presented on two huge outdoor stages at the Quartier des Spectacles’s Parterre and Esplanade Tranquille, from July 15 to 20, 2025.
From prominent international and national stars to emerging talent, artists will take to the stage to deliver spectacular performances bursting with colourful and festive rhythms that can be traced back to the African continent. From polyrhythmic chaabi to Haitian rasin and twoubadou traditions; Senegalese djembes to the Reunionese roulèrs; the Mandinka heritage that led to samba; from wild Cuban tunes to sizzling Cameroonian makossa music… the festival offers a
kaleidoscope of rhythms infused with hip hop, reggae, electro, rock or jazz—there’s truly something for everyone.
GRANDS ÉVÉNEMENTS TD – EXCLUSIVE AND EXTRAORDINARY
To end each of the six days on a festive note, a late evening “Grands Événements TD” concert will be presented on the Parterre’s TD stage. These “big events” concerts are an opportunity to discover stellar talent like the king of shatta, Blaiz Fayah; Labess and his gypsy-chaabi; the music of Marzos & Mateo, winners of the 2025 Syli d’Or de la Musique du Monde, in a huge salsa party; Femi Kuti & The Positive Force with their signature afrobeat; Baz Konpa’s smooth kompa rhythms; and, to round things off, the one and only Meiway and his Zo Gang will
shake things up with his upbeat zoblazo music during the festival’s closing concert.
Each of these “big events” will be broadcast live on a large screen in the Esplanade Tranquille, which will be transformed into a dancefloor where festivalgoers can dance beneath the stars during “Danses sous les Étoiles,” led by professional dancers. The hottest shindigs in town!
FEMMES DU MONDE – STRONG, GENUINE, WHOLEHEARTED AND RADIANT
The Femmes du Monde series highlights female artists, who have always been at the heart of Nuits d’Afrique’s agenda. And this year is no exception! In fact, many of these outstanding artists will be the stars of the shows presented every evening at 7 p.m. on the Esplanade Tranquille’s LOTO-QUÉBEC stage. From the freedom-loving roots reggae by Cape Verdean Mo’Kalamity, to ancestral Bantu songs with an electro twist by the Mamans du Congo & Rrobin; from Melodji’s Chadian rhythms intermixed with blues to Cameroonian folk rhythms behind Lydol’s slam poetry; or Tyrane Mondeny’s smooth Mandinka soul to the sublime voice of Manamba Kanté, daughter of the celebrated Mory Kanté… these concerts promise to be dynamite!
Big Thank Yous
Festival International Nuits d’Afrique thanks all of its public and private partners and sponsors who contribute to the realization, prestige and promotion of the festival. Official Presenter The Festival would like to extend a special thank you to its new presenter TD Bank Group Official Sponsors.
The Festival would like to extend its special thanks to its official sponsors. LOTO-QUÉBEC, Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ), ONIBI, LAGABIÈRE, RECYC QUÉBEC.
Public Partners
• Government of Canada
• patrimoine canadien
• musicaction
• conseil des arts du canada
• développement économique canada Gouvernement du Québec
• ministère de la culture et des communications • conseil des arts et des lettres du québec
• ministère du tourisme
• ministère des affaires municipales et de l’habitation – secrétariat à la région métropolitaine Municipal institutions
• ville de montréal
• conseil des arts de montréal
• tourisme montréal
• partenariat du quartier des spectacles
Major Partner
radio-canada
Media Partners
rfi –
france 24
ici musique
tv5
ctv
rythme 105.7
cism
cjmd
lévis
radio centre ville
radio vm
mike fm
cflo
cfak
ckut
atuvu.ca l ’initiative
and last but not least, they would like to thank the festival’s official suppliers.
Official Suppliers
yul – aéroports de montréal, bixi, archambault, fous de l’île, groupe nord scène, hôtel faubourg montréal, hotel10, hotels. tv, kiroule location, cqeer, equinox voyages, compost montréal, publicité sauvage, cinémas beaubien, du parc et du musée, aleia.
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