Calabar Carnival

[1] Also known as Africa's Biggest Street Party,[2] the carnival holds every December and was declared by the then governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke as an activity to mark Christmas celebration yearly.

In 2004, former governor Donald Duke of Cross River, as a way to promote tourism and improve the local economy reboosted the Calabar carnival, by bringing in participants and visitors from other African countries, international investors and the Diaspora.

The programme is drafted each year by the committee in charge of tourism and cultural activities and new initiatives are introduced with different topics chosen to drive the carnival.

[1] The Festival also includes music performance from both local and international artists, the annual Calabar Carnival, Boat regatta, Fashion shows (introduced in 2016), Beauty pageant (Miss Africa introduced in 2016[7]) Christmas Village, traditional dances and the annual Ekpe Festival that brings in thousands of tourists.

[8] In 2017 The Paradise Music Festival and Awards was added to the Calabar carnival calendar [9] The event hosts local and international musicians, actors and actresses, politicians and other notable men and women.

Some of the entertainers who have attended the carnival include Lucky Dube, Akon, Fat Joe, Young Jeezy, Nelly, Kirk Franklin.

[26] In 2020, the Cross River State House of Assembly called for a suspension of the festival due to the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions on massive gatherings in the country [27] as well as the mass destruction and looting of goods and infrastructure by hooligans under the auspices of the #EndSARS protest.

Anderson said the gap created from the two years suspension, as a result of COVID-19, will be filled with a mega event, that will change the face of Nigeria's socio-political and economic landscape.

The Director General of Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Janet Ekpenyong, who is heading the health cluster, assured of preparation, to avoid the breakdown of diseases during the event.

[35] Cross river state governor, Bassey Otu has announced 2024 Calabar carnival theme to be “Our Shared Prosperity”[36][37][38]