The U.K. festival circuit is set to welcome a new addition this summer with the arrival of Diaspora Calling!, headlined by the legendary Lauryn Hill.
The event will make its debut on British soil on Aug. 7, taking over the 65,000-capacity Milton Keynes National Bowl in England. Alongside a rare appearance from Hill, the inaugural U.K. edition of Diaspora Calling! will feature fellow Fugees founding member Wyclef Jean as well as YG Marley and Zion Marley.
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Additional acts across two stages are expected to be announced in the coming months. According to a press release, the event will also feature a street food village and other immersive art installations.
Tickets will be available on Tuesday, March 31, at 9 a.m. GMT. Fans can sign up for event news and further ticketing information at the Diaspora Calling! U.K. website.
Established by Hill in 2016, the first edition of the Diaspora Calling! took place at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre in New York, with the intention of showcasing artists and musicians from Africa and the African diaspora. The performance series has since seen Hill platform Haitian art exhibitions, alongside artists including Nas, Kehlani, Noname and Little Simz.
Singer and rapper Hill first rose to prominence as a member of hip-hop group The Fugees before releasing her landmark solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, in 1998, which scooped five Grammys including album of the year, with the star becoming the first woman to win five or more awards in a single night. Most recently, she performed at the 2026 Grammys ceremony to pay tribute to the late D’Angelo and Roberta Flack.
Hill’s live performances have been relatively scarce in recent years, while her headline slot at Diaspora Calling! U.K. is her only confirmed British show for 2026. In summer 2024, Hill and The Fugees announced The Miseducation Anniversary Tour, a run celebrating The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill alongside the group’s 1996 LP The Score.
The U.S. leg of the tour was canceled three days before the first scheduled show in August, with Hill citing “media outlets’ penchant for sensationalism and clickbait headlines” for low ticket sales. The U.K. dates still went ahead as planned later that year, however, including a night at London’s O2 Arena.
In recent years, the Milton Keynes National Bowl has played host to Yungblud’s Bludfest all-dayer, alongside My Chemical Romance’s U.K. comeback gigs in summer 2022 and a sold-out show from drum ‘n’ bass duo Chase & Status two years later.
