Concrete Guidance: Y.O.R Part 1
These are the things, people, and places that you’ve read about (and some that you’ve never heard of) and they are likely what helped you decide to come home to Ghana for December 2019.
Music/Events/Clubs
Let’s get right into it. As of a few months ago there were only a handful of places listing what events were happening. For the last week and a half of 2019, I get the sense that there are about 10 different events each day. FOMO will certainly be real. But no matter where you spend your time, remember to be present.
No place will have YOU there, except for wherever YOU are so make the most of it.
By now hopefully you’ve got your tickets to the largest musical events and parties that you want to go to. But rest assured that even if you miss something or one event isn’t meeting your expectations, there are plenty others. You may already be in a pre-planned/pre-organized and paid group, but these events might prove useful if you feel like moving from the pack.
*As per the prior post about Patience, you’ll notice that I haven’t included times for most of these. Use the links or follow events on InstaGram for up-to-date timings. This is far from an exhaustive list but www.yearofreturn.com is a reliable source (now) with a good daily rundown of events [including day events and January events]. Chasing the “scene” might not be the best use of your efforts so just remember, wherever you are is where the party is at (raises the roof like an elder millennial) .
Musical/Cultural Events
V for Vanity Art Show December 20th- January 5th @ Untamed Empire on Spintex Road Also another great location to checkout during the day, V for Vanity is a immersive light installation perfect for all of your social media selfie-needs
Cirque De Soir Tuesdays through Sundays evenings (7pm) through December 26th. Theatrical and Culinary Experience, the first of its kind in Accra. Tickets are available as of this posting. @ Savannah Garden in Cantoments
Food Truck Fest December 24th @Efua Sutherland Children’s Park in Ridge. It's a super charming outdoor space And it's across from the Kempinski hotel and all of its amenities ( Gallery 1957, multiple bars, pool…)
PinexGinja [ pine and ginger…pineapple and ginger] December 24th @ Ghana meets Jamaica in a cultural exchange of music, performance, art, and food.
Tribvl’s Jungle Fever, Party in the Woods December 24th (sunset?) @ The Woodlands (Legon Botanical Gardens), Legon
The Legon Botanical Gardens are beautiful and a great day activity ( including low canopy walk) if you can’t make it out to Kakum National Park.
The Black Gala December 26th, 7-11pm
@ Museum of Science and Technology An Afrofuturism themed fundraising event supporting art programs in Ghana and Africa at large. Come dressed to impress.
The Garden Party December 27th @ The Polo Beach Club
This day party is in tandem with a polo match, perfect for if you are feeling posh. The Polo Beach Club also has plenty of events this holiday season —>
AfroChic Diaspora Festival
[No Longer: December 21-22nd @Ozzie’s Beach Palace]
December 27th @Rehab Beach Resort Utilizing art, technology and fitness to ask, “ what does a black Utopia look and feel like?” AfroChic Festival is the annual multi-sensory festival based in Toronto. Focusing if female empowerment, this is the festival’s first time in Africa.
Mr. EAZI’s Detty Rave December 27th @ Untamed Empire, Spintex Road ( previously at La Palm Beach Hotel)
The line-up for this is looking insanely good [ Rick Ross, Kranium, Koffee]. I remember rolling into the detty rave a couple of years ago basically right after disembarking from the plane. Well worth it.
AfroNation December 27th-30th @ LaBoma Beach, Accra
Having created the stealthiest and largest Afrobeat/diasporic music beach festival in Europe (Portugal 2019 was huge!) AfroNation is now on the continent! This line up is insane and tickets are still available as of now, at premium prices. Tickets to DJ’ed after-parties are also available. (6Lack, Alkaline, Burna Boy, Davido, D’banj, Olamide, R2Bees, Shatta Wale, Stonebwoy, Wiley, Wizkid)
AfroChella December 28th, 12pm-8pm(?) @ El Wak Stadium
Back for round three in Accra, AfroChella is quickly becoming a beacon of art, culture and music in West Africa. They recently released some more VIP tickets, so always contact organizers to see what’s what, for any of these events. It will be a jam-packed day with 50+ performances (packing that into 8 hours seems a bit of a stretch, so I imagine it will go past 8pm...?) , lots of local vendors and great eats lined up.
*Also, don’t forget the AfroChella New Year’s Eve (December 31st) party at Memory Lane Park, in Airport City
Essence Full Circle Fest December 26th-January 4th It’s been hard to get concrete information about this week long festival, but its being billed as large networking event focused on economic development, empowerment and rejuvenation throughout the Diaspora…
* A HANDFUL OF ALL-WHITE-ATTIRE DAY PARTIES on JANUARY 1st *
Club Vibes:
+233 Jazz Bar and Grill , North Ridge (Good vibes on Wednesday nights for their all female high-life cover band).
Some might argue that this is for the older set, but if you want to experience some live high life first hand (roots of Afrobeat) then this is a good start.
Bloom Bar, Osu (Good vibes on Friday Nights)
Hosting a day party on December 26th, Bloom Bar is leading the open air space trends.
Carbon, Airport City ( Good Thursday and Saturday Night vibes)
This nightclub often hosts live music, and boasts a wall to wall crowd. Indoor cigar smoking area which mY of not be your thing, but overall it's definitely a vibe worth experiencing, especially the live shows.
Front/Back, Osu
A beautifully curated members-only space is in the “back” and an open air space with stage and food vendors is in the”front”. But if there is an event on their December/January calendar that you want to go to I suggest RSVP’ing to have a better chance of getting a peek into the exclusive “back” portion of the establishment.
Republic Bar, Osu
This long time bar is a great local watering hole where you can spot Ghanaian musicians and imbibe in strong Akpetishie (local alcohol) Cocktails + some of the best calamari I’ve ever had.
Sandbox, Osu (Good vibes Sunday Nights) Just hosted Major Lazor Africa on Wednesday Dec, 18th after a major renovation. Provides general chill vibes, but definitely come if you are looking to see and be seen.
Serallio, Osu Another open air lounge in Osu Seraillos sets itself apart with its huge stage and laid back attitude. Dancing under the stars is intoxicating on its own.
SunCity Bar, La Road
With great views of the city, Suncity bar is on top of the Suncity hotel at the edge of Osu.
Twist Nightclub and Lounge, Labone
This mainstay of Accra can get quite packed indoors, so their outdoor courtyard with quick yummy eats is always a welcome pitstop. DJ Tunez is throwing a Blackout party on December 30th if you what to “go-in” before New Year’s eve.