The New Afrika Shrine at a glance
The New Afrika Shrine is the Kuti family's purpose-built live-music venue in Agidingbi, Ikeja — successor to Fela Anikulapo-Kuti's original Afrika Shrine of the 1970s and 1980s, and the working stage for the contemporary Kuti generation. Built and opened in 2000 by Femi Kuti and his sister Yeni Kuti, the Shrine is where Femi Kuti performs on Sunday afternoons (his "Sunday Jump"), Seun Kuti with Egypt 80 performs on Thursday nights, and the annual Felabration festival anchors Lagos's October cultural calendar.
For visitors who care about the politics and the music of contemporary Nigeria, the Shrine is the single most important venue in the country. It is the living continuation of Fela's Afrobeat tradition and one of the few venues in the world where you can reliably see world-class Afrobeat performed in its natural context, week in and week out.
The Kuti dynasty — Fela, Femi, Seun, Made
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti (1938-1997) created Afrobeat, weaponised it as political commentary against successive Nigerian military governments, and built a movement around it. His original Afrika Shrine in Pepple Street, Ikeja, operated from the early 1970s until destroyed during his death. The New Afrika Shrine continues that lineage under the second and third generations:
- Femi Kuti — Fela's eldest son, four-time Grammy nominee, leader of the Positive Force band. Performs Sunday afternoons.
- Seun Kuti — Fela's youngest son, Grammy nominee, leader of Egypt 80 (the band Fela himself led at the end of his career). Performs Thursday nights.
- Made Kuti — Femi's son, the third-generation Afrobeat musician, frequent guest performer.
- Yeni Kuti — Femi's sister, founder of the Shrine and matriarch of the operation.
Felabration — the October festival
Felabration is the week-long annual festival commemorating Fela's life and music, held each October (covering the dates of Fela's birth and major performances). The festival programmes nightly performances at the Shrine, talks and panel discussions, photo exhibitions, mask processions, and guest performances by major international artists — Common, Burna Boy, Wizkid, Erykah Badu, Roy Ayers and others have all played Felabration in recent years. The festival is officially recognised by the Lagos State Government and draws international tourists. The closing weekend's headline shows sell out months in advance.
The weekly programme — Sunday Jump and Thursday Night
Outside Felabration, the Shrine runs a reliable weekly programme:
- Sunday Jump — Femi Kuti and Positive Force, every Sunday afternoon/evening (roughly 5 PM to 9 PM). The longest-running residency in Lagos live music.
- Thursday Night — Seun Kuti and Egypt 80, weekly evening shows.
- Friday Jam Sessions — open-jam nights with guest musicians and emerging Afrobeat acts.
- Weekend cultural programming — occasional poetry, comedy, and DJ nights between major shows.
Inside the Shrine — what to expect
The Shrine is a roughly 1,500-capacity covered open-air venue — a wooden-roofed pavilion with a raised stage, a large dancefloor, bar stalls, and tiered seating around the perimeter. The atmosphere is deliberately unfussy: this is a working performance space, not a tourist attraction. Food stalls sell Nigerian standards (jollof, suya, fish, grilled chicken, pepper soup); drinks are competitively priced. A small museum corner displays Fela memorabilia. The walls carry murals of Fela and the broader Afrobeat tradition.
The audience mixes Lagosians of all ages, expatriates, returning diaspora, and a substantial international tourist contingent. Smoking is common in the venue (including marijuana — the Shrine has historically had a permissive culture inherited from Fela's own practices).
Tickets, hours and how to book
Sunday Jump and Thursday Night are typically ₦2,000–₦5,000 at the gate — no advance booking required for regular nights. Felabration headline shows are sold through official ticket platforms in advance and range ₦10,000–₦50,000 depending on the act and night. Doors open about 90 minutes before the headline set; arrive early for good floor positioning.
How to get there
The Shrine is at NERDC Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja, near the Agidingbi roundabout off the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway. From Ikeja GRA: 10 minutes ride-hail. From Victoria Island: 60-90 minutes off-peak. From Lekki: 90+ minutes. Parking is available on-site and on adjacent streets (paid). The Shrine is a regular ride-hail destination — drivers know it. Use the trip planner to get the best route from your origin.
Etiquette and what to wear
- Dress casual. The Shrine is informal — comfortable clothes, flat shoes, nothing precious. No dress code.
- Bring cash and a card. Gate fees and food are cash-friendly; POS available for larger purchases.
- Pace your drinks. Shows often run 4+ hours.
- Respect the politics. The Shrine is a politically conscious space — band-stand banter often discusses contemporary Nigerian governance. Engage rather than disengage.
- Photography is allowed; flash photography during the headline set is discouraged.
- Watch your belongings in dense crowds at major shows.
Wider travel context
New Afrika Shrine is best understood not as a standalone destination but as one node within the wider Agidingbi fabric of Ikeja, Lagos. Visits to landmark sites in this part of the country reward the traveller who pairs the headline attraction with the surrounding daily life — the markets, the streets, the small restaurants, the religious centres, the public transport hubs that together make up the district. A first-visit traveller will often find that the most memorable parts of the day are the off-script encounters in the surrounding streets rather than the landmark itself.
Nearby points indexed on Locate.ng that pair well with a visit to New Afrika Shrine: Agidingbi Bus Stop, Alausa Secretariat Express, Barracks Bus Stop Agidingbi, Coca Cola Bus Stop Agidingbi. Each of these has its own profile page with directions, photographs, and the practical context for a visit. Combining two or three in a single day produces a more substantial experience than focusing on a single stop.
For commuters and longer-stay visitors, the surrounding Agidingbi area also functions as a working neighbourhood with the full Nigerian urban rhythm — markets, schools, religious services, public transport, residential blocks. The articles for the parent Agidingbi district, the Ikeja LGA, and Lagos State together describe the broader context in which New Afrika Shrine operates. For step-by-step transport options, the trip planner handles BRT, ride-hail, and informal-mode routing from your origin.