Lauryn Hill’s Diaspora Calling! Festival to Bring Wyclef Jean and More to the U.K. in 2026
New Music Festival Diaspora Calling! Set to Launch in the U.K.
The U.K. festival roster will expand this summer with the introduction of Diaspora Calling!, featuring the acclaimed Lauryn Hill as its headliner. This inaugural event is scheduled for August 7 at the Milton Keynes National Bowl, which has a capacity of 65,000.
Alongside Hill, the festival will showcase fellow Fugees founding member Wyclef Jean, along with artists YG Marley and Zion Marley. Anticipation continues to build, as additional performers will be announced in the upcoming months. A press release indicates that the festival will also include a street food village and immersive art installations.
Tickets for Diaspora Calling! will go on sale on Tuesday, March 31, at 9 a.m. GMT.
Founded by Hill in 2016, the inaugural Diaspora Calling! took place at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre in New York and aimed to spotlight artists and musicians from Africa and the African diaspora. The series has featured a notable portfolio of talents, including Nas, Kehlani, Noname, and Little Simz.
Lauryn Hill gained fame as a member of the hip-hop group The Fugees before releasing her influential solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, in 1998. The album garnered five Grammy Awards, making her the first woman to win five or more Grammys in one night. Recently, she performed at the 2026 Grammys, honoring the late D’Angelo and Roberta Flack.
Despite a sparse schedule of live performances in recent years, Hill’s appearance at Diaspora Calling! U.K. marks her only confirmed British show for 2026. Notably, Hill had previously announced The Miseducation Anniversary Tour alongside The Fugees for summer 2024 to celebrate the albums The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and The Score.
While the U.S. leg of the tour was canceled just days before its launch in August, Hill cited negative media coverage as a factor for low ticket sales. Nevertheless, the U.K. dates proceeded as planned, including a performance at London’s O2 Arena.
In recent years, the Milton Keynes National Bowl has hosted a variety of high-profile events, including Yungblud’s Bludfest and My Chemical Romance’s U.K. comeback performances.
As more details about Diaspora Calling! emerge, music fans eagerly await what promises to be a landmark event on the U.K. festival calendar.
