Festivals

2023 Carnival Calabar fiesta commences with first dry run

Published

3 years ago

October 17, 2023

The activities for the 2023 Carnival Calabar have commenced with first dry run.

The dry run, which is in three phases, heralds the begining of the preparation by the various bands that will complete at the fiesta.

This year’s edition has as its theme Season Of Sweetness and is the first carnival to be hosted by Governor Bassey Otu.

Speaking at the event, Governor Bassey Otu, represented by the Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Peter Odey,
promised that this year’s event will be the best ever tbag will be seen in the country.
Otu said said the presence of service commanders in the first dry run saying it indicates that the state is ready in terms of security.
“We want to assure you on behalf of the governor of the state that we are going to have the best carnival that this country has ever seen this year.

“We are ready and like you heard all the service chiefs are here what that means is that we are ready and even the security is ready.

“We are sending this message to all our friends out there in America, London, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago that security is firm in the state.

“We are ready to host you, welcome you to the state and that this year’s carnival will be the best”, he said.

Speaking earlier, the chairman of the Carnival Commission, Gab Onah, said this year’s event will mark a new beginning in the state, adding that that the 32 days fiesta is back.

Dignatries at the event include Brigadier General Okoro, the commander of the 13 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, wife of the former governor of the state, Onari Duke, and former Minister of Culture and Tourism, Edem Duke.

Related Topics:Calabar Carnival Featured Festivals

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OLOJO….Ile Ife’s September Gift To Culture

Published

1 week ago

October 5, 2026

Mariam Balogun

By Halima Adaba,

It was a featubal if the people. It was for the anciebt town of Ile Ife, which the Yoruba race refards as the Source.

Also read: Olojo Festival 2026: Ooni Urges Leaders to Prioritise Citizens

And ut was a festivsl for the King, Arole Oduduwa, Oonirisa, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.

And so between September 24 and 28th 2026, the annual featuval dazzjed in all its white glory.

Tge Monarch paid the traditional ancestral homage and offered propitiation as part of the sacred rites of the Olojo Festival.
It was a powerful expression of Yoruba heritage, spirituality, and enduring tradition.

Call it a collection of beautiful moments, faces, colours and cultural expressions.

Every frame tells a story.

Every face carries the energy.

Every moment keeps the heritage alive.

Undoubtedly one of the most sacred cultural celebrations in Ilé-Ifẹ̀. It marked a day associated with creation, thanksgiving, ancestral heritage, and the sacred appearance of the Ooni of Ife wearing the revered Aàrẹ crown.

There were also the devotees of the famed god of thunder – Sàngó who were hardly conspicuous at the festival.

Many other traditional groups came out with candor, showing a powerful expression of Yoruba cultural identity, spiritual devotion, and respect for the ancient traditions of Ilé-Ifẹ̀.

Devotees of Sàngó bekieved the ‘appearance’ of the god of thunder on Seotember 26th could be understood as a symbolic meeting of ancestral heritage, spiritual devotion, and the celebration of creation.

It was a moment when the sounds of drums, chants, and traditional praise poetry brought the history of the Yoruba people to life.

Although Olojo is closely associated with Ogun, the god of iron, and the sacred traditions of Ile-Ife, the presence of Sàngó devotees reflected the rich diversity of Yoruba spiritual heritage.

Also read: Olojo Festival 2026: Ooni Urges Leaders to Prioritise Citizens

As a participant enthused at the festival, “To witness Sàngó Olúkòso emerge on Olojo Festival day is to witness a living expression of history, identity, and ancestral pride.”