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We’ve been shouting Z! Fest everywhere, talking about how it’ll be the best party of all time. But what exactly do we have planned for y’all?
Here’s a list:
Dance booth
Z! Fest 2021
You’ve been trying to learn legwork for the longest time, but you’re still doing nonsense. We’re giving you a chance to fix it. Come and dance with Liquorose and the GGB dance crew at the dance studio at Z! Fest. You’ll learn a thing or two.
Speed friendship
We wanted to do speed dating but realised Lagos people aren’t looking for love, so we changed it to speed friendship. This is the easiest way to make a new friend in five minutes.
Karaoke
Zikoko Hertitude 2022
The gag is, the person with the worst karaoke voice wins. All those days you spent singing badly in the shower weren’t for nothing. Your time has come.
Body painting
They say your body is a canvas (don’t ask me who). Z! Fest is bringing talented artists to draw whatever you want on your body.
Tarot card readings
I’m particularly interested in this one because I need some questions about my past and future answered. Like how did my mum not meet Otedola first? Who’s with me?
Arts and crafts
Zikoko Hertitude 2022
Who doesn’t want to make matching bracelets with their friends or work bestie?
Tattoo and piercing
Zikoko Hertitude 2022
The party isn’t complete until Zikoko makes you get piercings and tattoos. If you’ve been pushing off that tattoo appointment for one reason or another, now is the time to get it. Come to Z! Fest.
DJ sets
Z! Fest 2021
DJs will be there to play back-to-back jams from the year 2022. You’ll dance so much, you’ll need two days to recover.
Class of 2022 photo lounge
Z! Fest 2021
We have a really cute photo booth for people to take pictures and create memories.
Card games, musical chairs (because, why not?), board games, Zikoko ships card game, meme games, balloon games, Tiktok challenges, Twister, darts, song association, cup pong and so much more.
It doesn’t matter if you’re in a relationship or not, if you do anything on this list, you don’t deserve true love because you have a poor sense of judgement.
You don’t like Asake
Not liking Asake is not a flex of any kind. In fact, it should be among the list of crimes punishable by dragging through the dark streets of Twitter. But there’s still hope for you, just fix up and watch the love of your life fall into your arms.
You don’t watch K-drama
The year is 2022, and you still haven’t watched a single K-drama series, and you think you can find love? Laughs in Lee Min Ho. We advise you to try and watch at least one before the year ends. Who knows? You might learn a thing or two about attracting your crush.
You’re active on Twitter
You left Instagram, WhatsApp and LinkedIn to choose Twitter as your favourite platform? Who are you trying to deceive? You don’t want love; you want problems always. And we agree.
You use apple products but don’t eat apples
Oya, we give you two hours to come up with a defence on why you think this behaviour is okay.
You say the word “sapa”
Any small thing, you’ve hurried to say, “sapa”. Why have you decided to use this word to death? What else would you say if we took sapa out of your vocabulary?
You’ve found love
Why would people tell you love ends in breakfast and you still carried your coconut head to enter there? You clearly do not deserve love of any form since you seem to like pain.
You prefer phone calls to text
The only people allowed to do this are people over the age of 50. If your first instinct is to call instead of text, what you need is a customer care job, not love.
You live in Lagos
You live in the most stressful city in Nigeria, and you’re thinking of love? You need to redirect that energy into surviving the long traffic, exorbitant transportation costs, noise and general struggle that comes with life in Lagos.
You haven’t gotten your Z! Fest tickets
We’ve provided you with an escape from all the stress, and you’re still thinking about whether to attend. SMH. Do you know you might even find love at the speed dating session if you attend Z! Fest? Well, now you know. Get your tickets so we can take you off this list.
After constantly telling you to cancel this food, you’ve still gone ahead to not just eat it but enjoy it? You have some unresolved issues, and clearly, no one can love you till you get help.
We’re back again with your favourite festival by Zikoko! And this year, the theme is Class of 2022. What’s that? Let’s get into it.
We spent about a month thinking through reasons to have a party this year. We did a thing in 2021 and the audience loved it. Then we threw the hottest party just for women in May. It made sense for us to bring out the party guns one more time.
From Asake dropping hits, like his housing status is at risk, to the naira falling more times than our national grid, we realised, we need a party. Who’s “we” this time? All of us — those who hit some hard milestones this year and even those who were just there — we have to end the year with a bang — party — Z! Fest.
What makes a Z! Fest Party
This year, Z! Fest is highlighting music, games, food and drinks — everything that made 2022 worthwhile.
Our music lineup features people you likely ran into on a playlist this 2022 or you’re bound to jam in the new year. We’ve got Ayra Starr, Yinka Bernie, Dwin the Stoic, YKB and other artists showcasing the best of their genres this 2022.
If you’ve been to a Zikoko party, you also know we’re all about games and having the most fun. I’m proud to tell you, we’re coming clutch again this time. There’ll be board games, life-sized games, games curated around Zikoko content (relationships, money, memes…) and our classic cup pong.
A highlight is our dance studio. If you want a dance competition with your friends while listening to music only you can hear, come through. You’ll find silent disco, waist whining and karaoke.
And if you thought that was all the dancing there was, you’d be wrong because we’ve locked down the best DJs, which we’ll unveil soon.
And finally, it’s not a festival without some signs of festivity. We’ve got body painters, tattoo artists and jugglers. We’re still unsure about fire-breathers. Should we be playing with fire in Lagos? Let us know.
At this point, all I can say is, we take our fun and partying seriously. You should come experience it.
Date is November 26th, 2022
Time is 3 p.m.
You see that date? Salary earners, no excuse not to make this. Non-salary earners, come unwind on the bank of salary-earning family and friends. Everyone deserves, and everyone will get, this party.
Pro tip: Look out for corners where we bring Zikoko to you.
If Detty December and Zikoko had a child, it would be Z! Fest.
From 2015 till now, it’s been an interesting journey of growth, telling stories that matter, and being the pulse of the culture. To that end, it is only right that we come together to celebrate and have fun in a thriving atmosphere. Hence, the birth of Z! Fest.
If you’re one of the people who’ve been asking, “Zikoko, when will you organise a hangout?”, then hearing about Z! Fest should make your nipples hard.
Here are all the juicy details you should know before you hear it outside:
What is Z! Fest?
Z! Fest is a community event for fun-seeking friends of Zikoko to engage with us, highlighting food, music, laughter, and drinks. Think of your favourite Detty December concert + the coolest people + best live performances.
What should I expect?
Good food, drinks courtesy of Jameson, games, Zikoko merch giveaways (t-shirts, water bottles, tote bags and laptop stickers), and chill vibes. You’ll also get to chill with the Zikoko team and other Zikoko fans, while jamming to cool live musical performances from The Ignis Brothers, Celeste, Mo’Believe, and 3rty.
Where is the venue?
Somewhere in Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. Buy a ticket and you’ll find out the full details.
Since Zikoko returned in 2018, we’ve wanted to connect with our audience, but there was always something stopping us. In 2019, it was funding. In 2020, it was Covid. This year, we finally cracked it.
Z! Fest is a community event for fun-seeking friends of Zikoko to engage with us, highlighting food, music, laughter, and drinks. Think of your favourite Detty December concert + the coolest people + best live performances.
On a breezy, clear evening in May, Tomiwa (CEO), Edwin (Editor-in-chief) and I (Ruka, the managing editor) were at an event, drinking beers and chatting with strangers when Tomiwa went: “You know, we should do a thing for our audience here — a small thing where they get together and have some fun”. I was probably on my second or third mug, which explains why I responded with: “That’s a good idea. The food and drinks are affordable, and it’s an open space. We’ll set it up in a month.”
No, we did not.
We knew that a Zikoko live event meant curating only the best experiences, so our small get-together idea grew before us. A month later, we were planning the first, limited Zikoko festival, ingeniously called Z! Fest.
To plan a kick-ass Nigerian festival, we needed money. And to get money, we had to sell the event to sponsors. We wanted brands that understood the importance of reaching their audience on a personal level. So I worked with the Business Development team to create a proposal that reflected our aspirations for the event, using this to sweet-talk potential sponsors. In another month, we had gotten three of such brands: Piggyvest, Jameson and Bature.
In the meantime, the Z! Fest team solidified the timeline and itinerary for the event. At Zikoko, we think of ourselves as the fun, smart friend who teaches you stuff by showing you people’s experiences. So we thought: How do we do organise an event that encapsulates that? The answer was:
Give them access to our arsenal – the Zikoko team
Games
Music
Zikoko merch
Meet & Greet with the Zikoko writers:
Come on down and meet the people who write the articles that are so funny, they make you say, “These guys must be on drugs!” Cosy up to Zikoko’s resident happening babe, Kunle, and ask where he gets the inspiration for his chaotically hilarious series, Interview With.” You could also trap David in a corner and force him to tell you all the Japa tips he’s learned from writing the “Abroad Life” series for so long. There will also be a Q&A and pop quiz session with the Zikoko team so get your mildly inappropriate questions ready.
Games:
We have many games proudly sponsored by Jameson and three other partners who plan to give away decks of games. Zikoko team members, Ibukun and Malakai, have put together a games night experience so epic you’ll never forget it. So come have the time of your lives but leave your naughty dares at the gate because this is not that kind of party.
Live musical performances:
To crown the evening, we’ve set up live music by Ignis Brothers, Celeste, and Mo’Believe. Before you squeeze your face and ask who these people are, keep reading:
Ignis Brothers
Consisting of Dwin the Stoic and Ruka, Ignis Brothers is a musical band experimenting with afro, folk, alternative and pop sounds. Their work covers themes on life and death — love, happiness, grief, etc.
Their more popular release, Alien at Home, has been said to cause intense pleasure and pain to listeners. Fans of BDSM will be into these ones.
You can listen to them here to get gingered for Z! Fest.
Celeste
When you listen to Celeste, you’re transported to days of chilling under the Udala tree, singing a call and response song with the village storyteller. Days before capitalism went full BDSM on you. Basically, Celeste is enchanting, and she will be running your senses amok by the time she gets on stage. If you’re a fan of folk, spiritual music, or good music in general, you will enjoy this.
Mo’Believe
Mo’Believe is an urban folklore singer who likes to tell vintage stories from an urban point. His sultry Yoruba lyrics is the wave on which most of these stories ride.
His major influences include legendary Ebenezer Obey, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, and Orlando Owoh, so you know he has depth. Mo’Believe always provokes emotion with his sound. Listen to his debut EP here to be provoked.
To ensure that Z! Fest is a fun and SAFE experience for everyone, we will be implementing the latest COVID-19 safety procedures. There will be sanitisers at the gate and temperature checks taken by security. Everyone is also expected to have their masks on at all times.
We’ve put three months worth of thought and planning into making sure we give the best show on August 28th. So…
