Festivals

NIHOTOUR’S 2024 Gastronomy Festival holds May 31

Published

2 years ago

April 12, 2024

National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) will host the 2024 edition of NIHOTOUR Gastronomy Festival at the Abuja International Conference Centre, on May 31.

According to NIHOTOUR, participation in the food festival remains free and open to the public.

The festival is a masterpiece of gastronomy tourism that attracts over 5,000 visitors and tourists. The theme for this year is ‘Sustainable Food Production From Farm to Table.’

Gastronomy Festival will witness exhibition of Nigerian foods and beverages by NIHOTOUR from the six-geopolitical zones, exhibition of international cuisines by foreign missions in Nigeria and exhibition of signature foods by leading chefs and restaurant franchises in the country.

There will also be display of international best practices in cuisines presentation and foods handling. Tourists and visitors at the Gastronomy Festival are allowed to freely sample all exhibited foods, while being serenaded with Nigerian music and eclectic cultural entertainment.

Previous editions of NIHOTOUR Gastronomy Festival saw the participation of some diplomatic missions in Nigeria including Spain, China, Ethiopia, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, among others.

More so, a number of leading travels, food and beverage brands in Nigeria also featured including Air Cote d’Ivoire, Destination Senegal, Danone Fan Milk, Delifrost and Nigerian Breweries, to mention a few.

As part of this year’s Gastronomy Festival activities, there will be live cake decoration competition amongst culinary schools in Nigeria. The event, no doubt, will provide an avenue for major stakeholders in the food and beverage industry to showcase their services and engage with the guests in a relaxed and fun-filled atmosphere.

The Gastronomy Festival will be rounded-off in the evening with live musical performances by leading Nigerian artists at a gala and award night where NIHOTOUR will induct ‘Fellows of the Institute’ for their outstanding contributions to the growth and development of the hospitality and tourism sectors in Nigeria.

The NIHOTOUR is the lead parastatal of the Federal Government of Nigeria that is empowered by an Act of Parliament to train, certify and register all personnel in Nigeria’s hospitality, travel and tourism sectors.

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Culture

OLOJO….Ile Ife’s September Gift To Culture

Published

2 hours 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.”