2025 festival bills: Afro Nation, C2C, Ultra Music
The smattering of festival lineup announcements has continued with Afro Nation Portugal, Ultra Music Festival and Country to Country the latest to show their hands for 2025.
Burna Boy and Tems will headline the fifth anniversary of The Malachite Group’s Afro Nation Portugal, which is set for Portimao from 9-11 July. The first wave of artists also includes Ayra Starr, Franglish, Tiakola, Gabzy, Innoss’B, Piano People, Scorpion Kings, DBN Gogo, Oskido, Rosey Gold, Vigro Deep, Mörda, Shakes & Les and KMAT.
Elsewhere, electronic music spectacular Ultra Music Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary in Miami at Bayfront Park between 28-30 March. The bill features the likes of Martin Garrix, Hardwell, Chase & Status, Carl Cox, Tiesto, Zedd, Deadmau5 B2B Pendulum, Armin van Buuren, Charlotte de Witte, Nero and Four Tet.
In addition, country music festival Country to Country (C2C) heads back to the UK from 14-16 March, headlined by Lainey Wilson, Dierks Bentley and Cody Johnson. Presented by SJM Concerts, AEG Presents, DFC and MCD in association with the Country Music Association (CMA), the event will run concurrently at The O2 in London, Glasgow’s OVO Hydro and SSE Arena Belfast.
They will be joined by C2C debutants Dylan Gossett, Tyler Hubbard, Chayce Beckham, Shaboozey, Tucker Wetmore, Niko Moon and The Castellows, as well as the returning Nate Smith, 49 Winchester and Avery Anna, Wyatt Flores and Tanner Adell.
“We are more grateful than ever for the valuable role C2C has continued to play in developing audiences in the territory”
Since debuting at The O2 in 2013 with headliners Tim McGraw and Carrie Underwood, C2C has grown to a three-day multi-arena festival.
“As country music continues to reach more fans around the world and achieve mainstream success in the UK, we are more grateful than ever for the valuable role C2C has continued to play in developing audiences in the territory,” says Milly Olykan, CMA VP, international relations and development. “The festival continues to be an unforgettable moment in the year for fans, as well as a key opportunity for artists to gain exposure in the UK market. We are incredibly proud of our continued partnership with C2C, and of the success to date of country music in the UK.”
The week prior (7-9 March), AEG and Semmel Concerts will present C2C Germany at Berlin’s Uber Eats Music Hall. Topped by Dylan Gossett, Midland and Lainey Wilson, it will also feature acts such as 49 Winchester, Dasha, Nate Smith, Wyatt Flores, Tucker Wetmore, Sam Barber, Chase Matthew and Shaboozey.
Meanwhile, Clockenflap has announced its first wave of names for 2024. The festival returns between 29 November to 1 December this year at Hong Kong’s Central Harbourfront, headlined by Jack White – who will be making his debut performance in Hong Kong – and Air.
Also confirmed are St Vincent, Jamie xx, Glass Animals, Mother Mother, Fat Dog, Porter Robinson and A-Trak, alongside talent from across the East Asian music scene such as Creepy Nuts, Yama, Deca Joins, Sakurazaka46 and Toe, among others.
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Ultra Miami’s first day cut short due to severe weather
Ultra Music Festival was forced to shut down early on Friday (22 March) due to severe weather in Miami.
The three-day EDM event, taking place at Miami’s Bayfront, opened on Friday despite warnings of thunderstorms, heavy rain and high winds in the South Florida region.
Ahead of the festival, punters were advised to bring ponchos, raincoats and boots. Ultra also encouraged festival goers to text ULTRA to 48477 to stay updated with real-time safety information.
Festivities went ahead as planned until around 21:00 EDT, when Ultra issued a statement: “For your safety, Ultra Friday is temporarily shutting down. Please calmly leave the park now.”
The three-day EDM event opened on Friday despite warnings of thunderstorms, heavy rain and high winds
Hardwell, a Dutch DJ and producer who was due to play the headline set on the festival’s main stage, shared a post on X, expressing his disappointment at having to cancel his performance. He wrote: “I’m crying right now, 3 months of work by the team and myself. Wow….”
At around 23:30 EDT, Ultra shared another statement, assuring fans that the festival would go ahead on Saturday despite ongoing inclement weather. It read: “Severe weather is still in the area. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow!”
Ultra resumed on Saturday, with extended hours to make up for the lost time, and guests were advised to turn up with caution. Artists including Calvin Harris and Eric Prydz performed at the festival during the weekend.
Events around the globe that have been impacted by the elements over the past 12 months include Primavera Sound Madrid, Awakenings in the Netherlands, Slovenia’s MetalDays, the UK’s Kaleidoscope, shows by Louis Tomlinson show and Ed Sheeran in the US, Burning Man, Taylor Swift in Brazil, Elton John in New Zealand and Wacken Open Air in Germany.
Extreme weather and its impact on open-air events was a major topic of conversation during last month’s ILMC in London. Read more here.
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Ultra Music Festival heads to Spain
Global festival brand Ultra Worldwide is expanding to Spain this summer with the inaugural Ultra Beach Costa del Sol.
The electronic music event will debut on the Mediterranean coast at the Marenostrum venue in Fuengirola, Malaga on 20 August.
The boutique waterfront festival will feature two stages – the EDM-focused Beach Stage, headlined by Afrojack, Oliver Heldens and Kshmr, and the underground music-oriented Resistance Stage, topped by Adam Beyer and Joseph Capriati.
The flagship Ultra festival was founded in Miami, Florida in 1999
Other acts confirmed across both stages include Acraze, Mykris, Alex Now, Manu Gonzalez, Ben Sterling, Blackchild, Melanie Ribbe and Sandro Bianchi, with further line-up details to be announced.
Tickets are priced from €40 to €120, including VIP options.
The flagship 165,000-cap Ultra festival in Miami, Florida first took place in 1999 and has gone on to spawn sister events in 29 countries from South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.
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