Africa Oye Festival becomes a FREE event again

Today the Africa Oye Festival has announced the event will once again be FREE.

The African Music Festival now in its 18th year, is held on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th June, and features artists from nations right across Africa, and also from South America and The Caribbean will play in Sefton Park, Liverpool for a two day family-friendly celebration of cultural diversity from 12.30pm until 9pm on both days.

Organisers were originally forced to charge a small entry fee to this year's festival due to rising costs and new regulations in order to keep the festival afloat. However they have now announced that the festival will again be free and unfenced this year.

Paul Duhaney, Africa Oye Festival Director said, "Organisers have always maintained that they would love to keep Africa Oye a free event, and now, against all odds they have managed to again make this a reality.

"We are delighted that we have been able to pull this off, and we offer huge thanks to all our supporters and our sponsors. While we're sure you'll share our enthusiasm about this fantastic news, we still need help and support to enable us to get through the next year."

Tickets purchased online will be automatically refunded. Those who have bought tickets in person should contact info@africaoye.com if they would like a refund.

Organisers have announced five ways to help keep Oye free:

1. Donate online through IndieGoGo (http://www.indiegogo.com/africaoye)

2. Buy an official T-shirt from the festival shop

3. Buy a drink at the Oye Inn

4. Donate whatever you can to our collection buckets on site

5. If you've already bought a ticket, donate the cost to the festival

If everyone does just one of these things, it will be a great step towards keeping Oye free for years to come. We are a registered charity and as such, all proceeds will be reinvested into the organisation.

In other Oye news reggae legend Marcia Griffiths has been confirmed to headline the festival this year.

Known as The Queen of Reggae, Griffiths' illustrious career has spanned six decades both as a solo artist and in collaboration with other top reggae performers. As the duo Bob and Marcia, Griffiths and Bob Andy hit the UK charts with their 1970 hit 'Young Gifted and Black'. From there she moved on to sing with the I-Threes supporting Bob Marley and the Wailers.

Her classic hit 'Electric Boogie' spawned international dance craze The Electric Slide, and the single is still the highest selling single by a female reggae singer.

Marcia Griffiths tops a bill of acts that includes Fatoumata Diawara, Kareyce Fotso, Sierra Leone Refugee AllStars, Bonga Angola, Mariem Hassan, The Gangbe Brass Band, Zewdita Yohannes, Damily, Khaira Arby , Amkoullel the Fula Child, and Cheny Wa Gune Quarteto.

Africa Oye is one of the UKs largest celebration of African music and culture and takes place annually in Liverpool. Beginning in 1992 as a series of small gigs in the city centre, the event moved to its present Sefton Park home in 2002 to cope with demand. Africa Oye as continued to grow and in 2010 attracted an audience of over 50,000 people. 2011 marks the 20th year of the Africa Oye festival.

With too many negative representations of Africa produced by images of war, disease, poverty and famine, Oye seeks to instead highlight the fantastic range of cultures, foods, music and artists that make this great continent one of the most vibrant and inspiring in the world. The festival is a truly international event that harnesses the spirit of multiculturalism and tolerance. It has played host to artists from nations right across Africa and also programmes music from South America and The Caribbean with Salsa, Soca, and Reggae always being popular additions to the festivities.

With over 60 stalls selling the best food, drink, arts and crafts, and fashion from Africa and beyond at the Oye Village, Africa Oye is about far more than just music. Long time supporter News From Nowhere, one of the UKs premier stockists of African music, will have merchandise from all the performing artists and much more on sale.

Africa Oye remains a registered charity and should any profit be made, it will be re-invested into the festival for 2012. The festival would also like to thank Liverpool City Council and Arts Council England for their continuing support.

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