Organisers of the 2025 DJ Marathon Festival say preparations are advancing for a 96-hour nonstop beach party scheduled for Lagos.
Founder of Afroxella, Buchi Henry, on Tuesday said that interest grew rapidly after foreign party lovers began asking about Lagos’ famed Detty December celebrations and the city’s rising global profile.
The event will hold from Dec. 29 to Jan. 2, 2026.
“There were so many questions about Lagos and why the 30th was trending,” Henry said, noting heightened curiosity from abroad about festive nightlife in the city.
He said enquiries came from Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, France and Portugal, with many travellers eager to experience Lagos’ end-of-year cultural energy first-hand.
“The diasporans wanted to see what it means to party in Lagos, so we aimed for an event that truly captures the city’s spirit,” he said.
Henry explained that the idea naturally evolved into a DJ-driven festival because Lagos’ nightlife revolves strongly around disc jockeys.
“There’s no party like Lagos party and DJs remain central to every celebration,” he said, describing DJs as “permanent party starters” across social events.
He said the team studied previous marathon attempts worldwide before deciding they would attempt a 96-hour festival to match global standards.
“We saw people partying 55 hours and records of 250 hours from DJ Obi and DJ Bella.
“Our goal is a 96-hour festival with at least 100 DJs playing simultaneously from all angles to demonstrate Lagos’ unmatched party culture,” he said.
Henry added that the organisers planned DJs playing every hour with smooth handovers, ensuring uninterrupted music throughout the four-day celebration.
He said the timing was deliberately chosen to blend with New Year festivities because crossing into 2026 would attract international attention.
“Starting on Dec. 29 and ending on Jan. 2 gives us 96 hours, and crossing into 2026 adds global appeal.
“There are fireworks worldwide and people want memorable celebrations, so this timing strengthens our festival’s visibility,” he added.
The UK-based entertainer said the festival concept draws from what he called the “three S’s”: sun, sea and sand.
“We rise and set with the sun, the sea attracts the beach crowd, and the sand grounds us, while music crosses borders,” he said.
He said the festival would be partly free but mostly ticketed because three large beach houses were being combined for the event.
“The record attempt happens at Wave Beach, while Kyma and Athena Beach will also host major activities,” he said.
Henry said the festival design includes food exhibitions, fashion showcases, fitness sessions, and wellness elements to broaden the event’s appeal.
Activities will span yoga, Zumba, gospel sessions, R&B performances, rap battles and hip-hop showcases, offering varied entertainment for visitors.
He described logistics as extremely demanding but said the vision was to host Africa’s biggest and longest beach festival.
“It’s going to be the biggest party festival in Africa, and the event will be streamed live to 100 countries,” he said.
Henry said global streaming would extend the festival’s reach far beyond Lagos, strengthening Nigeria’s cultural influence internationally.
“The live streaming expands our reach as we aim to project Nigeria and Africa positively.
“We want to tell the Nigerian story and the African story using music and culture,” he added.
Henry named DJ Jimmy Jatt, DJ Neptune, DJ Humility and DJ Bombastic among the veterans invited to participate in the marathon.
He said more than 100 young DJs entered the open Marathon Challenge, which was created to ensure fairness and encourage emerging talent.
“It would be unfair to just select people; we’re giving over 50 slots to upcoming DJs and including female DJs,” he said.
He added that Masked Queen Bella, who holds Africa’s longest DJ record, would appear on stage during the marathon.
(NAN)
