List of festivals in Nigeria

[20] The festival began as the brainchild of Koko Kalango, who thought it up as a means to propel tourism numbers and heighten literacy awareness in the city of Port Harcourt and its neighboring areas.

Originally scheduled for 8 September each year, to coincide with United Nations' International Literacy Day, the festival has continued to expand and has been highly rated since its debut.

The Aké Arts and Book Festival has been described as the African continent's biggest annual gathering of literary writers, editors, critics and readers.

Every second week of May annually, the NIBF hosts publishers, booksellers, illustrators, authors, exhibitors and readers who displays and sell their books at discounted prices.

[39] The one-week-long event which is held annually at the New Afrika Shrine in Ikeja, attracts visitors from different countries and has thus been considered as an official tourist destination by the Lagos State Government.

Acts that played included Awilo Logomba, Shaggy, Usher, Koffi Olumide, 50 Cent, Ja Rule and Kevin Lyttle, LL Cool J and Akon, Kanye West, T-Pain, Nelly, Nas, Busta Rhymes and Ludacris.

Co-founded by Chinedu Okeke and Oriteme Banigo, it was created in response to a demand from the local youth culture for live, affordable, and accessible entertainment in Africa.

The main show features a line-up of African acts from numerous countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Congo, Kenya, and the United Kingdom.

[58] The 2019 edition of Livespot X Festival unveiled artists including Cardi B,[59] Teni, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Seyi Shay, Joeboy, Ice Prince, DJ Cuppy, Reekado Banks, and Patoranking[60] which was held in Lagos and Ghana.

Livespot X Festival featured a fusion of incredible live performances; music, impressive lighting, special acts, and immersive experiences, all rolled into one high-octane event.

[66][67] In Igboland, in addition to a church service and distribution of gifts the festivities may include Mmo (masquerade) dancing, where men in their twenties or thirties dress in colorful costumes and wear masks.

[3] The three-day festival of Eid Al Fitri celebrates the end of the holy month of Ramadan, a period of fasting from dawn to dusk each day.

[81] Durbars have been held for hundreds of years in the northern states, notably the Daura Emirate, and gave an opportunity for conscripts to the army to display their skills as horsemen.

[4] Modern Durbar festivals include prayers at the start of the day, followed by parades in town squares or in front of the local emir's palace.

Its origin dates back to over five centuries and it is acclaimed as the biggest pan-Igbo cultural community festival with strong heritage, international recognition and is witnessed by thousands of people on a yearly basis.

In contemporary times, each passing year has witnessed an increase in grandeur, display, dance, sophistication and an all-inclusive participation of all Arondizuogu people and friends.

The festival is marked with colourful display of different masquerades such as Ogionu, Mgbadike, Nwaaburuja and Ozoebune; prestigiously parading across the market square to the admiration of the public.

Each of these days has a special significance and represents one of the several dimensions of Ikeji – a festival renowned for sumptuous feasting, fascinating masquerades, pulsating rhythms, and colourful performances.

Another interesting aspect of ikeji is the raconteur known as ima mbem - an imaginative tale delivered with a musical cadence that only the initiated can sometimes understand or comprehend.

The importance of the flutist during Ikeji festival is very vital, for he communicates things hidden from the ordinary eyes to the masquerades, combined with soulful melodies, steps and gestures, “blending esoteric messages into the intoxicating rhythm of the drums” to the admiration of the crowd.

Until eventually, the bravest among the masquerades participating in the competition for that year's festival, after overcoming all odds, will reach the ram and untie it and take it, to a thunderous applause by the spectators.

With economic interests increasingly identifying tourism as a viable alternative to the fossil fuel economy–especially in these parts–the state government has exhibited its commitment to developing this carnival into a regionally unrivalled and globally reckoned tourist attraction.

[105] Thus, it has always made available the necessary monetary backing needed for the event to hold every year, and has also worked hard through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to see that it is held.

Then, on the evening of December 24th, carnival-goers gather for a "Tales by Moonlight" symposium that delves into the rich history of the Igbo people, emphasizing the significance of cultural heritage.

[124] The festival which is described as the most important surviving traditional ceremony of Onitsha indigenes is celebrated within two days mostly in December and January in honour of the Obi (English: king).

[citation needed] Leboku is the name for the annual New Yam Festival celebrated in Ugep, Nigeria, one of the five settlements of Yakurr, to honor of the earth goddess and the ancestral spirits of the land.

This has helped to improve the rate of decency in the town as young girls understands the price and the worth and that one of the greatest virtue of a woman is her virginity and a media to stand against sexual abuse.

[151][152] The Annage Festival of Art and Culture began in 2016, usually celebrated by the Ikot Ekpene people of Akwa Ibom, a region located in South Southern Nigeria.

[172] The festival is mostly celebrated among the Igbo people due to different spiritual ideology surrounding Yam from ancestors story passed on till today to them.

The festival which takes place annually is usually witnessed on the third day after Eid al-Kabir (Ileya), to pay homage and show respect to the Royal Majesty, the Awujale of Ijebuland.