The award-winning Highlife Funk band FRA! staged the 2026 FRA!ternity Festival in Accra after being selected as beneficiaries of the second edition of the British Council’s Festival Connect Fund.

The high-energy festival kicked off promptly at 6 PM, as advertised, at the Alliance Française Accra (AFA) arena, drawing a crowd of over a thousand patrons.

FRA! opened the night with a pulsating Hiplife medley, setting the tone for an evening of vibrant performances. The band also previewed new material and delivered a heartfelt tribute to legendary Highlife musician Daddy Lumba, earning warm applause from the audience.

True to its name, FRA!, which means “to mix” in Akan, the festival reflected diversity both in audience and artistry. FRA! embodied this ethos by sharing the stage with a wide range of bands and solo performers, including Yarwood, Akra, GG Brass, Ark Band, Kwanpa, Susan Augustt, Yung Pubi, Kao, and Reynolds the Gentleman.

Although the festival was officially scheduled to end at 11 PM, audience enthusiasm pushed the night beyond its closing time, with GG Brass extending the celebration. As the evening wound down, patrons described the experience in glowing terms, using words such as “spectacular,” “fantabulous,” “entertaining,” “phenomenal,” “energy,” and “exquisite.”

Ahead of the festival, on Friday, January 16, 2026, the Cornish Bank, FRA!, and the British Council jointly organised a capacity-building workshop for musicians. The session focused on brand definition, accessing international funding, and successfully touring the United Kingdom. While promoting a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach, the workshop also stressed the importance of working with qualified agents.

The British Council’s Festival Connect Fund is designed to strengthen artistic exchange, mobility, and collaboration between festivals in Africa, including Ghana, and the United Kingdom.

Announcing the initiative during the FRA!ternity Festival, Andrew Entsua-Mensah, Project Manager for Arts and Culture, underscored the fund’s role in fostering innovation and expanding showcasing opportunities across contemporary art forms.

As part of the 2026 programme, £30,000 has been awarded to three Ghanaian festivals: FRA!, the Accra Indie Film Festival, and the Dagbong Festival, to support new collaborations with UK partners Cornish Bank, Edinburgh Napier University, and the Dagbon Union Birmingham.

According to Mr Entsua-Mensah, these partnerships will drive co-creation, skills development, and deeper cultural exchange, while strengthening Ghana’s creative economy.

He reaffirmed the British Council’s commitment to festival-making and community engagement, adding that the fund “will significantly increase visibility, expand access to new collaborations, and help scale the impact of creatives across Ghana and beyond.”