Wireless Festival’s first MENA iteration is set to bring some of the biggest names in music to Abu Dhabi. Recently, it announced a lineup that includes US rap stars Travis Scott and Lil Uzi Vert, as well as the Arab world’s leading hip-hop artist and singer, Wegz. Now, having updated its impressive list of performers, the festival will also see UK sensation M.I.A, Egyptian rap trendsetter DizzyTooSkinny, and Sudanese rap icon Dafencii added to the list of performers.
Since it kicked off in 2005 in London’s Hyde Park, it has quickly become one of the biggest festivals for urban music and pop culture featuring performances from global stars across rap, R&B, grime, dance and electronic music. On March 11, the festival will activate its inaugural Middle East edition at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island, with multiple stages and 13+ live performances.
With Wegz fresh off his globally groundbreaking performance at the World Cup, the Wireless Festival booking is the biggest festival lineup any Egyptian rapper has ever performed to date. It is a milestone to say the least, but also puts Egypt’s hip-hop scene on the international map with these unprecedented, back-to-back performances by the young star.
Wireless Festival’s arrival to the Middle East comes after a long line of events and festivals taking place in the past years that are helping to put the region on the map as a destination for some of the greatest global artists. January alone is meant to see mega hip-hop acts performing in Dubai, including Ashanti, Fat Joe, Ja Rule, playing at the Coca-Cola Arena on Jan 21st. Later in the year, the region will also see activations of other massive international festivals, including ULTRA, an EDM event that is also scheduled to make its regional debut at Yas Island in March.
Over the years, the festival has come to be known for its unparalleled lineup of hip-hop and urban music, alongside immersive activations and installations from across the contemporary art world. Last year’s festival saw the likes of A$AP Rocky, Daft Punk, J.Cole, Massive Attack, Nicki Minaj, and The Strokes.
Stay tuned, as the rest of the lineup will be announced in the coming days, while tickets go on sale on January 13th on the Wireless website.
