What difference did ticketing make to Africa Oye?

Liverpool's Africa Oye festival "felt safer than ever" after ticketed entry was introduced for the first time, an MP has said.

The event, which is billed as the largest celebration of live African music in the UK, took place on 20 and 21 June in Sefton Park.

Some callers to BBC Radio Merseyside said they felt this year's Oye lacked the atmosphere of previous festivals, with one, Isabel O'Rourke, claiming it was "a middle-class oriented event, with not too many people" and "no crowds dancing."

But Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson said she attended the festival on Saturday and completely disagreed, adding "the music and the fact that so many communities were coming together was amazing".

Johnson said: "I think having it cordoned off and being ticketed, people were saying it felt safer, it wasn't an open access.

"In previous years there'd be loads of gazebos, loads of people with barbecues, so there wasn't a lot of that but the atmosphere and the music and the fact that so many communities were coming together was amazing".

Johnson added: "In previous years I've seen loads of young people in there, drinking, taking drugs, running amok" and she said she had not witnessed any such behaviour this year.

The festival which has existed since 1992 had previously been free, but organisers said they could not sustain that model this year, due to rising infrastructure and security costs.

David, from Broadgreen, told BBC Radio Merseyside there was no atmosphere" and the event was full of "jolly hockey sticks people."

Johnson said, in her view, the crowd was as diverse as in previous years.

She said "I saw lots of people from my communities there. I'm a black working class woman, I was there with friends and family who are not middle class."

Africa Oye began as an indoor event and moved to Sefton park in 2002, with crowds steadily growing in the following years.

Artistic Director Paul Duhaney said he had been "absolutely blown away" by the positive response to the 2026 festival.

He said: "We didn't know what to expect when we took this leap of faith.

"We've said it many times but this year it was a case of make the changes or don't come back at all."

Attendees took to Africa Oye's social media pages to share their thoughts on the changes.

Heather Jones, who has been going to the festival for 20 years, said on social media she had been "worried that the vibe would be different" but she said her "worries were unfounded, and the vibe was as great as ever".

However, Chris Webb said: "It would have been a lot more full if it had been free."

This year's performers included Fatoumata Diawara, Janet Kay, Fulu Miziki and Ghorwane. Previous headliners of the festival have included global music stars Julian Marley, Akala,Tinariwen, Max Romeo, Baaba Maal and Horace Andy.

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