Lauryn Hill has announced dates for her Diaspora Calling! festival. Scheduled to take place on August 7th, Hill took to Instagram today to promote the upcoming event. She described the festival as “a celebration of sound, culture, art and connection”. With featured performances from Hill as well as her Fugees counterpart Wyclef Jean, both YG and Zion Marley and with additional special guests yet to be confirmed, fans can expect an exciting commemoration of both music and culture.
Set to take place at the National Bowl in Milton Keynes, Diaspora Calling! is Hill’s only scheduled performance for 2026 so far. Fans of The Fugees in particular will revel in the fact that the upcoming festival will see Hill and Jean on stage together for the first time since their appearance at the Global Citizen Festival in New York in September 2023. Fans of Hill in particular have been waiting for a performance from the eight time Grammy winner since April 2024 where she performed at Coachella alongside YG Marley.
The inaugrual Diaspora Calling festival took place in Brooklyn, New York in April 2016. Ten years later, the cultural celebration will make its way over to England. Currently, there is only one date available, however the initial execution of the idea spanned over a three day festival. It included performances from Stephen Marley as well as African drumming and dancing, before Hill took to the stage. Described as a woman on fire, Hill performed an acoustic set as well as covers and renditions of the infamous ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ which was released in August 1998. Infamous for its longevity, honestly and cultural relevance, Hill’s debut album propelled her into superstardom. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, going on to break the record for most nominations (10) and wins (5) at the Grammy Awards in 1999.
Moving away from the festival template, Diaspora Calling! later pivoted to a tour format. During its run between 2016 and 2017, it helped to platform artists such as Noname, Little Simz and Kehlani aswell as including appearances from rapper Nas. Fans attending the UK edition of the festival will be expectantly waiting for the next release of guests.
Tickets will be released on Tuesday March 31st and fans can sign up now to join a waiting list.
