Space & Infrastructure · Indicator 3
Influence of informal & grassroots spaces
What this indicator asks
How important are DIY and independently run spaces for Lagos’s cultural identity, artist careers and local scenes?
74.0/ 100 · Lagos
A participant said DJs usually start at smaller raves, such as 303 Garage, and then go on to bigger stages. An expert said 303 Garage is now the biggest Afro House gathering on the mainland. It grew so fast its organisers created a second brand in order not to “lose their essence”. Participants named Engine Room in Lekki as a fixed venue that welcomes alternative music.
A total of 79% of survey respondents in Lagos call temporary spaces such as warehouses, rooftops and beach fronts important. Asked what makes them proud, respondents named recurring parties and raves more often than fixed venues. An expert said smaller parties fly under the radar.
One participant said large festivals swallow the smaller grassroots spaces in December, summer and at Easter. However, an expert suggested that the electronic scene is growing, and that in two years the biggest December events will be electronic.