Trench Fest returned to Lagos on December 27, 2024, delivering one of the most extensive Afrobeats lineups of the Detty December season.
Held at the Police College, Ikeja, and powered by Dapper Live, the festival transformed the venue into a high-energy gathering point for street-pop, Afrobeats, and youth culture, drawing fans from across the city for a long, immersive night of music.
Positioned as a people-first live experience, Trench Fest Lagos 2024 stood out not only for its scale but also for its accessibility. The familiar Police College grounds created an open, communal atmosphere that allowed fans to engage closely with performers without the high costs often associated with peak-season concerts. This balance of scale and affordability helped reinforce Trench Fest’s growing reputation as a festival rooted in street culture and real fan connection.
From early evening, the venue steadily filled as performances rolled out back-to-back, setting the tone for a marathon event rather than a short headline-driven show. Trench Fest has evolved beyond a standard concert format, and in 2024, it functioned as a cultural checkpoint, a space where different sounds, regions, and generations within Nigerian music intersected on one stage.
The night was headlined by Wande Coal, whose performance anchored the festival with a sense of history and musical depth. A foundational voice in modern Afrobeats, Wande Coal delivered a set that immediately elevated the atmosphere. Songs such as “Bumper to Bumper” and “Iskaba” sparked massive sing-alongs, cutting across age groups and reaffirming the lasting impact of his catalog. His presence brought weight and perspective to a lineup driven largely by contemporary and emerging voices.
Earlier in the night, Ice Prince delivered a composed and confident performance that highlighted his longevity in Nigerian hip-hop. Records like “Oleku” and “Aboki” resonated strongly with the crowd, blending nostalgia with relevance and reminding fans of his role in shaping mainstream Nigerian rap.
Skiibii injected a lighter, club-ready energy into the festival, leaning into melody and crowd interaction. With songs such as “Daz How Star Do” and “Trenches,” his performance kept the audience dancing freely and added contrast to the more reflective moments of the night.
Beyond the headlining moments, Trench Fest Lagos 2024 was defined by the sheer depth of its artist roster. The lineup featured Orezi, L.A.X, Dremo, Balloranking, TML Vibez, T.I Blaze, BhadBoi OML, KashComing, Cazulee, TegaBoi DC, Rybeena, Teee Dollar, Dwillsharmony, Lasmid, Femzyltf, Wizka, Tolibian, Ruhdee, Fazil, Marley Kiddo, Dera, Reenaa, Badman Niko, Billion Solar, Billirano, and Mascara Vibez, all contributing to a continuous flow of performances that reflected the diversity of Nigeria’s current soundscape.
The extended lineup allowed fans to experience a wide range of styles, from street anthems and melodic records to club-ready cuts, without breaks in momentum. Rather than relying on isolated peak moments, the festival emphasized endurance, energy, and collective participation, keeping the crowd engaged deep into the night.
Supporting the live performances was a strong DJ lineup that played a crucial role in sustaining the event’s pace. DJ 4kerty, DJ Leezy Ace, DJ Mazmazel, DJ DBS, DJ Teekay, DJ Xmix, and DJ Smalls handled transitions between sets, blending street records, crowd favorites, and Afrobeats staples to maintain energy across the long-running program.
Speaking on the vision behind Trench Fest, Damilola “Dapper” Akinwunmi, Founder of Dapper Group, said:
“Trench Fest is about building a live-music culture that reflects how young people actually experience music in Nigeria. It’s important to us that these shows are accessible, culturally honest, and capable of travelling across cities. We’re not just hosting concerts, we’re contributing to a national live-music circuit that gives both fans and artists real stages to grow.”
Throughout the night, the atmosphere remained raw and participatory. Fans chanted lyrics, waved lights, and fed off the spontaneous connection between artists and audience. Unlike tightly choreographed concert productions, Trench Fest retained its signature grit, loud, fluid, and deeply connected to street culture.
By the time the final performances wrapped, Trench Fest Lagos 2024 had firmly established itself as more than a seasonal event.
With its marathon lineup, accessible setting, and culture-driven execution, the festival once again proved that Lagos remains the heartbeat of Nigeria’s music ecosystem. Trench Fest Lagos 2024 was not just a concert, it was a live snapshot of the sound, energy, and evolving identity of Nigerian music during Detty December.
