The Akwa Ibom State government has announced plans to make use of local artists during the 2023 Carol Festival billed for December 15.

It also announced that it will open its Christmas Park from Friday, December 1, through Tuesday, January 2, 2024, at the Unity Park, Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo.

Recall that previous governments had invited the likes of TD Jakes, Alvin Slaughter, Donnie McClurkin among others as well as international choirs to feature at the festivals which was assumed to cost the state huge sums.

Speaking during a press conference on Tuesday at Ibom Icon and Golf Resort, Uyo, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Charles Udoh, who unveiled programs for the month-long event said, “The 2023 edition of the Christmas Park, formerly Christmas Village, is a rebranded and reloaded event with 100% local content to mostly accommodate the younger generation”.

Udoh assured that the event was carefully engineered to showcase the entrepreneurial drive of Governor Umo Eno, as well as ensure that Akwa Ibom becomes more marketable.

He said this year’s Carol Festival, which has as its theme, ‘Arise, Shine, for Thy Light has Come’, drawn from Isaiah 60:1, would be streamed live on national television and the social media handles of the state government.

He noted that each day will be set aside for hangouts for people of the state from different sectors, ranging from the governor, commissioners and their spouses, the legislature, journalists, and the elderly, to families, including the Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and Niger Delta communities, with special focus on ‘Happy Hour’, where kiosks randomly picked would be empowered with N100,000 upfront sales.

Other side attractions of the Akwa Ibom Christmas Park include, traditional wrestling, tombola night, pageant and fashion shows, twin night and Bob Marley tribute night, among others.