Grammy Winning Star Ne-Yo Is Coming To Dominica 

By NAN ET EDITOR, NewsAmericas Now

News Americas, ROSEAU, Dominica, Fri. August 26, 2026: Dominica’s World Creole Music Festival returns October 23-25 with a star-studded lineup led by Grammy-winning R&B singer Ne-Yo.

The three-night festival will be staged at Windsor Park Sports Stadium in Roseau during Dominica’s Independence season, featuring a broad mix of R&B, soca, dancehall, reggae, bouyon, cadence-lypso, kompa, soukous and amapiano. Also set to perform are soca superstar Machel Montano, who is also a headliner, reggae veteran Maxi Priest, and Jamaican dancehall acts Alkaline and Skillibeng.

Born Shaffer Chimere Smith, Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and executive known for his chart-topping R&B and pop hits, both as a solo artist and songwriter for others. Ne-Yo first gained recognition for writing songs for artists like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Mary J. Blige, Destiny’s Child, and Celine Dion. In 2004, he wrote Mario’s “Let Me Love You”, which held the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks. This past July, he released his country-inspired album Highway 79, featuring recent singles like “Up Out & Gone,” “Ms. Tundra,” and “Thinking What I’m Thinking.”

Other major performers include Jamaican reggae star Capleton, Haitian-American singer-songwriter Fridayy, South African amapiano artist Uncle Waffles, Haiti’s Klass and Tabou Combo, Guadeloupe’s Les Aiglons, Jean-Marc Ferdinand and Edday, Martinique’s Maurane Voyer, and Congolese guitarist Diblo Dibala. Dominican artists will play a central role as well, with Midnight Groovers, TK International, Asa Bantan, Signal Band, Extasy Band, Colton T, Mr. Ridge, Pudaz, Reo, Nice, Gwada G and Shaxx among the confirmed homegrown acts.

A record-breaking year to follow

The 2026 lineup arrives on the heels of the festival’s biggest edition yet. The 25th anniversary festival in 2025 drew more than 42,000 attendees across three nights, up sharply from just over 30,000 in 2024, while Dominica welcomed 10,540 visitors during the nine days surrounding the event, a 48% increase over the prior year and the highest pre-festival visitor count ever recorded.

Discover Dominica Authority CEO Marva Williams said the festival remains one of the island’s most important cultural and tourism events. “For nearly three decades, the World Creole Music Festival has provided a distinctly Dominican platform where our music meets the sounds of the Caribbean and the world,” Williams said.

Tickets are already on sale, and tourism officials are encouraging visitors to book accommodations and travel early, as demand is expected to climb closer to the festival dates.

NewsAmericasNow will continue covering Caribbean music’s biggest festivals across the region.