Calabar festival and Carnival is an annual event held in Cross River State, Nigeria. The festival is held every December and was declared by the then governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke, as an activity to mark the Christmas celebration every year.
The quality of the festival has grown over the years, making it Nigeria\’s biggest carnival and an internationally recognized festival. It used to be a month-long event that began on the 1st of December, until the former governor of the state, Benedict Ayade, reduced it to two weeks after he was elected.
On this note, the administration of Governor Prince Bassey Edet Otu is just experiencing it in December, and he has vowed to bring back the tradition of festivity in Cross River State laid down by Donald Duke.
The governor has been on the tour with several stakeholders from the state who have more ideas and experience since the existence of tourism and end-of-year festivities. During his activities regarding the festival, the governor held several meetings with international bodies. These are top countries that were once involved and had a passion for tourism, but the past administration didn’t give them an opportunity to invest in the state.
Prince Otu assured them of bountiful success, security, and other tourist activities they weren’t aware of. As it speaks, international countries are set to storm the state from day one of the festival to the end.
The Cross River State Festival is now back with over 32 days of nonstop activities. A calendar has been released that comprises different categories of activities.
WHY YOU SHOULD CALL IT CALABAR FESTIVAL, NOT CALABAR CARNIVAL? The Calabar Carnival is part of the calendar, which constitutes 32 days of celebration full of sweetness, knowing that all events are free except otherwise.
The 2023 Calabar Festival begins on November 30, 2023.
