London’s Victoria Park became a celebration of contemporary R&B, Afrobeats, soul and UK dance music on Friday, August 21, as All Points East opened its 2026 festival run with a specially curated day headlined by Jorja Smith and Tems.
From the moment the gates opened, the festival offered a broad mix of sounds and styles, moving between soulful R&B, Afrobeats, UK garage, jungle, amapiano, hip-hop and electronic music across its stages.
With Jorga Smith curating the day alongside her label FAMM, the lineup brought together established stars, emerging voices and some of the most exciting artists shaping the current UK and African music landscape. The official bill featured Nia Archives, kwn, Ayra Starr, Odeal, Elmiene & The Sunday Service Choir, Destin Conrad, Uncle Waffles, DJ EZ, Maverick Sabre, Katy B, Wesley Joseph and many more.
By the time Tems walked onto the East Stage, the energy across Victoria Park had already been building for hours.
Performing as the penultimate act of the night, the Nigerian superstar delivered one of the evening’s most commanding performances, combining her trademark vocals with a much more physical and energetic stage presence.
Tems danced, moved across the stage and repeatedly connected with the crowd as she worked through her catalog.
One of the standout moments came during “Crazy Tings,” which quickly became one of the most talked about performances from the night.
But the biggest surprise came when Tems brought out Dave.
The British rapper joined her on stage for their collaboration “Raindance,” instantly turning an already major performance into one of the defining moments of the festival’s opening day.
The appearance was particularly fitting for the London crowd, bringing together two artists whose collaboration has become one of the strongest links between Britain’s contemporary rap scene and Nigeria’s global Afrobeats movement.
Videos of Tems and Dave performing “Raindance” quickly circulated online following the show.
If Tems owned the East Stage, Ayra Starr made the North Arena feel like her own headline show.
The Nigerian singer arrived with a set designed around movement, energy and familiarity, running through a mixture of major hits and songs from her newer material.
Her set included “Dangerous,” “Who’s Dat Girl,” “Bloody Samaritan,” “Misunderstood,” “Away/LHB,” “Heaven Baby,” “Midnight in NY,” “Gimme Dat,” “Pressure,” “Amazing,” “Ms Paper,” “Dance,” “Hot Body,” “Tornado,” “Rush,” “Commas” and “Sability.”
One of the sweetest moments came when kwn joined Ayra Starr on stage for “Amazing.”
The collaboration brought together two of the day’s most talked about young voices and gave the North Arena another memorable moment before the night moved toward its final headline performance.
After Tems’ explosive set and Ayra Starr’s high-energy performance elsewhere in the park, Jorja Smith had the responsibility of closing the night.
And fittingly, the festival’s curator ended the day with a set built around the music that established her as one of Britain’s most distinctive contemporary R&B voices.
Jorga Smith performed songs from across her catalog, including “Blue Lights,” “Teenage Fantasy,” “Addicted,” “Where Did I Go?,” “falling or flying” and “I Lied, You Lied.”
There was also a surprise appearance from AJ Tracey, adding another London connection to a night that repeatedly blurred the lines between UK and African music.
Away from the main headline stages, Nia Archives provided one of the strongest alternative moments of the night.
Her West Stage performance brought a completely different energy to the festival, leaning into jungle, drum & bass and the sounds that have long shaped British club culture.
Her set also created one of the night’s few genuine clashes, overlapping with Ayra Starr’s North Arena performance.
For fans attempting to catch both artists, it became one of those unavoidable festival dilemmas: stay with Ayra or head across the park for Nia Archives.
Still, the fact that both performances were attracting strong attention at the same time demonstrated just how much depth the day’s lineup possessed.
Odeal delivered a well-received performance on the West Stage, continuing the momentum around one of the UK’s rising R&B voices.
kwn also made an impression during her East Stage slot before returning later for her appearance with Ayra Starr.
Meanwhile, the special performance from Elmiene & The Sunday Service Choir provided one of the day’s more unusual and memorable combinations.
The festival’s programming also ensured that the day never became sonically one dimensional.
Uncle Waffles brought amapiano and DJ energy to the North Arena, while DJ EZ delivered the unmistakable UK garage sound.
Across the other stages, artists including Maverick Sabre, Katy B, Wesley Joseph, Destin Conrad, Bellah, Sekou, Bricknasty, Crazy Cousinz, Keyrah and others kept the park moving throughout the afternoon.
The SHY FX Presents Digital Soundboy takeover provided an entirely different experience, with jungle, drum & bass and club sounds taking over its dedicated stage.
Breakage with MC GQ, Champion, ENNY, Femi Koleoso, Saint Ludo and SHY FX himself helped create the dance-focused side of the festival.
Elsewhere, Westside Gunn brought his distinct hip-hop presence to the wider bill.
