Festivals

Ogwashi-Uku Carnival 2025 Promises Festive Cultural Spectacle

Published

1 year ago

October 1, 2025

Ogwashi-Uku Carnival 2025 returns on December 25, celebrating dance, costumes, and heritage, drawing visitors and boosting local culture and tourism

Ogwashi-Uku Carnival 2025 is set to transform the Delta town into a festive cultural hub this Christmas, as the 14th edition of the popular dance carnival takes centre stage on Thursday, December 25.

Also read: Carnival Calabar Needs Private Investment to Survive – Onah

The celebration, scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., will run into the evening, attracting indigenes, residents, and visitors eager to enjoy music, dance, and vibrant costumes.

Convener Anthonia Oguah described the event as “the most explosive cultural celebration in Delta during the Yuletide,” highlighting the carnival costume competition as a major attraction. Participants are encouraged to appear in colourful, imaginative outfits for a chance to win prizes.

Beyond entertainment, organisers emphasise the carnival’s role in cultural diplomacy and community branding. This year’s theme, *“Promoting the Image of Ogwashi-Uku Through Culture and Dance,”* underscores the event’s focus on showcasing heritage while fostering unity and tourism.

“Over the years, the carnival has grown into a major cultural movement in Delta. It is not just a parade of costumes and dance, but an opportunity to project the vibrancy of our people,” said one organiser.

Now in its 14th year, the carnival has steadily attracted larger audiences, boosting local businesses and giving young people a creative outlet during the festive season.

For sponsorship and advert placement, interested stakeholders can contact the carnival committee via Anthonia Oguah (08033119176) or Barrister Uche Nwulu (08034680900).

Also read: Okhma Global Investment Workshop Attracts Top Brands for Carnival Calabar

Organisers insist this year’s edition will be the biggest yet, as Ogwashi-Uku once again invites the world to experience its cultural heartbeat.

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Culture

OLOJO….Ile Ife’s September Gift To Culture

Published

9 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.”