Hull’s got soul. And it’s got a Felabration.
From Lagos to Hull, Fágbèmí Ọṣìnúgà is bringing the music, spirit and legacy of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti to the region.
This Saturday 17 October, he’s bringing Felabration back to the city for the third year running. It’s a day and night of music, art, film and conversation, and for the first time it’s all under one roof.
If you don’t know Fela Kuti, you know his influence. He’s the man who invented Afrobeat, blending West African rhythms with jazz, funk and highlife. He was also one of the fiercest political voices in Nigerian history. After his death, he became the first African artist to receive a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Felabration is the official annual festival held in his honour in Lagos. Fágbèmí’s event is the UK’s officially licensed edition, approved by the Felabration Organising Committee in Lagos. It’s been held in Hull every year since 2024, always landing in October, during Black History Month, which suits a festival built around heritage, identity and legacy.
This year, everything happens at Browse Studios on Prospect Street and the day has two very different moods.
By day, it’s thoughtful. The Underground Spiritual Game, a photography and art exhibition, runs all day. There’s a screening of the documentary Finding Fela. And there’s the Felabration Forum: WHO ARE YOU? On Belonging and Legacy in Britain, a panel discussion inspired by Fela’s own lifelong questions about identity and who we choose to become.
As night falls, the energy shifts. The Felabration Hull Tribute Session hands the stage to Hull performers for an evening of music and celebration.
That it’s happening at all says a lot about the man behind it. Fágbèmí likes to prove the naysayers wrong. He moved to the UK after a stellar career in experiential events in Nigeria. Doors didn’t open. So, he built his own door and set up his own company, Morpheus Multimedia. When people said a platform celebrating African diaspora creativity wouldn’t work outside the big cities, he launched The Gidi Vibes. Felabration Hull is the proof.
For Fágbèmí, it’s about keeping a story alive.
“One thing that matters to us is making sure Fela’s story continues to reach people who know the sound of Afrobeat today but may not know the man, the ideas, and the movement behind it,” says Fágbèmí. “His influence is everywhere, but there is a generation discovering the music without necessarily knowing where that story began. Felabration allows us to introduce Fela to new audiences and to ask what his work still has to say to us now.”
Event details
When: Saturday 17th October – various times across the day
Where: Felabration Hull, Browse Studios, Prospect Street, Hull, HU2 8PW
Book tickets: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/felabration-2026-in-hull-who-are-you-tickets-2000854751423