A one-night funeral at the 35,000-capacity Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan began on Friday evening and ended early on Saturday when Arafat's body was brought to the final.
Set in the center of the ball field, it drew wild applause. Then the mood turned sombre and the fans shed tears.
"The celebration was very moving," said Raymonde Nguessan. "We have lost a great man."
Another fan, Samuel Kablan, was in tears when he announced: "Arafat was my life, my source of inspiration."
All night, the A-list of African stars such as Davido, Sidiki Diabate, Fally Ipupa and Serge Beynaud sang in musical terms, who died at the age of 33 on August 12 after a motorcycle accident in the capital of Ivory Coast Abidjan.
Prior to the ceremony, Ivory Coast Minister of Culture Maurice Bandaman gave him a national cultural commission for his "significant contribution to the artistic radiation" of Ivory Coast.
DJ Arafat, named after Ange Didier Houon, was one of the most famous musicians in Africa in the Francophone world, and was described as the "king" of coupe-decale (cut and run), a form of Ivory Coast dance music.
News of his death sparked a shocking image among some of his fans and a tribute to Twitter from fellow artists. President Alassane Ouattara called him "the young icon and ambassador of Ivory Coast's music and culture".
Couple-decale originated from the direct bars at Rue Princesse in the Yopougon district that serves the Abidjan district and clubs and spread throughout West Africa.
