Carnival Calabar: Enthralling peak, wrap-up of 2025 Nigerian tourism calendar

…As Calas Vegas wins milestone edition

…Tiwa Savage excites full-capacity stadium

Those who were in Calabar in the power week of Carnival Calabar 2025 will confess to enjoying one of the best live theatres in Africa.

From within, across the country, from Africa and from the diasporas, the streets were full of indigenes and visitors alike, who came to partake in the best of culture, entertainment, tourism and hospitality generously on display in the safe and clean streets Calabar, the Cross River State capital, which is fondly called Canaan City by those who cherish its many tourism potential.

Of course, the 2025 edition of the annual carnival was breathtaking, breaking all records achieved in the previous editions.

Firstly, it is the 20th edition of the carnival, hence the spectators were thrilled beyond expectations with shows and performances worthy of the milestone anniversary.

Secondly, the crowd was more than anticipated. As one local put it, “everybody in Calabar is on the street for this year’s carnival”.  A middle-aged woman insisted that the governor did the magic by reaching out to the people earlier, another interjected that the carnival is the life of the people and they will be on the street with or without even the bands. “It is our thing before the government started supporting it,” a retiree said, while enjoying the carnival float from his veranda.

Thirdly, the bands were very competitive, and brought their A game in their various presentations, all in attempts to interpret the 2025 theme “Traces of Time” in order to woo better marks from the adjudicators.

Again, the hotels and related businesses were smiling to the bank due to the huge patronage courtesy of the huge arrival of visitors.

They waited patiently until 2:30pm, on December 29,2025, when Bassey Otu, governor of Cross River State, and his entourage, composed of high-profile personalities across government, diplomatic community, corporate and business world, stormed the Millenium Park to flag off the carnival.

In his address, the governor was grateful to the poisoners of the carnival, past governors, competing bands and sponsors for their individual and collective efforts that have sustained the carnival for 20 successful years.

He declared it open and called on all to enjoy the biggest street party in Africa, and they immediately heeded to his calling.

The non-competing bands opened the show with several bands, including Diasporas Band led by Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), the Governor’s Band, sponsors, among others.

Then came the big and main occasion, the competing brands filling out on the carnival route one after the other, including; Seagull Band, Masta Blasta, Diamond, Freedom, Calas Vegas, Bayside and Passion 4. The Seagull band was the first to hit the 12-kilometer-long carnival route, which winds through the city of Calabar.

The bands move from the Millennium Park down to the Calabar Road, through Watt Market Roundabout, Mary Slessor Avenue, Marian Road, and Atekong Drive, before looping back to conclude at the J.U Esuene Stadium, near the Millennium Park.

While on the route, the bands stop at four adjudication points for 30 minutes each to perform, entertain the spectators and most importantly, impress the adjudicators for votes.

This was exactly what the Seagull Band did. The band danced, displayed and excited the crowd all the way from the flag off point to the Mary Slessor Roundabout, the first adjudication point. The presence of Florence Ita-Giwa, the band leaders, and her entourage including Okon Lagos, a popular comedian, boosted the band performance, amid cheers from the crowd.

The band made efforts at interpreting the carnival theme, ‘Traces of Time’ with its many enthralling displays, dances, acrobatics, signage and sculpture works.

They trailed life before time, in early days, pre-colonial and post-colonial Nigeria, the good old days and when things fell apart. It also offered solutions, urging for restoration, afforestation, among other remedies. After the impressive first competing band’s show, the Calas Vegas band followed shortly.

As expected, the two-time winners, enthralled with a long flout, particularly a train, which trailed the beginning of the carnival till date, from 2004 to 2025.

Their presentation went as far as before the carnival, where the people of Calabar stormed their streets in a mini show and celebration of Christmas.

They highlighted the reality of today, especially climate change, food security and need for a harmonious society.

Freedom Band took over with its presentation tagged “Enduring Parade, Dawn-Beyond”.

Like the previous bands, Freedom Band also made efforts at interpreting the carnival theme, going back in time, capturing the good old days, independence, coups, power mongering, military shakeup from 1966 to 1999, return to democracy, among others, till date.

Gloom, neglect, controversial judgments, especially the forgone 79 oil wells to Akwa Ibom State, among others.

They had fireworks, choral performances capturing the events, and moods of those eras as well as the oil boom, and the era of new dawn of goldmine 1990-2007.

Freedom Band ended its presentations with a candle light for its late leader that steered the band for successful 15 years.

The Bayside band followed shortly.

The band offered a mini stage play of how peaceful the Efik nation was in those days, the cultural heritage, the killing of twins, the arrival of the colonial masters, slavery, the stopping of the killing of twins, among others on a live stage.

The band traced the times with amazing details from the tranquil precolonial era to colonial, slavery, independence, first Republic, civil war, the millennials, Gen Z, Covid-19 and EndSars protests. The band’s presentations were more of musicals amid dance.

Of course, Passion 4, the 11-time winners of the carnival, came to make another shot at the prize. The band tagged its presentation ‘Footprints in Time’.

Well, instead of DJ’s music, the band was innovative, introducing End-time Dancers that offered music for its presentations, which were under four sessions; heritage, loots, recoveries, and celebrations.

The band creatively captured the fight between foreign and indigenous religions in a drama that kept the crowd cheering.

Intriguingly, towards the end of their presentation, DJ’s music went off, yet the band danced without music, leaving the crowd cheering even more.

The Diamond Band came next with in a presentation tagged ‘The Chronicler’.

Its recasting of time past, especially precolonial and slavery eras, were enthralling to say the least.

Yet, the Masta Blasta Band led by Liyel Imoke, a former governor, was impressive too.

The band was the last to perform at the carnival and it opened its show with an incredible fire display and video on the carnival so far on a large screen, then a magician that enthralled all by his magic, salsa dance, among other performances.

At the end, the carnival, which started at 2:30 pm on December 29th by the Seagull Band, ended at 5:31 am on December 30th by the Masta Blasta band.

Like in every competition, there is always a winner. Following its enthralling presentations, performances and best interpretation of the theme,  the Calas Vegas Band emerged the winner in the main carnival. Earlier at the Children Carnival, Freedom Band was declared winner by the adjudicators,  Calabar South Local Government Area emerged winner of the Cultural Carnival, while Rivers State won the Cultural Carnival State.

Also, at the night of the main carnival, Tiwa Savage led other music superstars to enliven the J.U Esuene Stadium, which was filled to capacity by the fans. The female musician, added colour to her performance without shoes on the stage.

Speaking on the carnival’s successful 20th edition, Effiong Ekpenyong, special adviser, Events Management, and chairman, Carnival Calabar & Festival Committee, shared a collective sense of pride and fulfillment. “The 20th Edition of Carnival Calabar was more than a celebration; it was a statement of resilience, growth, and cultural continuity,” he said.

“Seeing the streets come alive, the bands perform with excellence, and the overwhelming turnout from both residents and visitors affirms that Carnival Calabar has truly come of age. It was a successful blend of culture, entertainment, tourism, and unity”.

Gabe Onah, chairman, Cross River Carnival Commission, attributed the huge success to collective efforts of the government, the bands, the sponsors, the people and the media in sustaining the event for two decades and running.

“We are grateful to all that our carnival has achieved a 20-year milestone and is growing even stronger. The excitement is even more, attendance more impressive and more infrastructure in place to support easy access and comfort of our visitors,” Onah said.

He assured that the carnival will take advantage of its 20 years achievement to grace global stages and woo more participation to Calabar for the coming editions.

Ikechi Uko, international consultant to the carnival, is impressed with the crowd, which he noted is more than previous editions.

He also commended the various bands for heightening the excitement for the spectators with their enthralling performances, noting that the essence of the carnival is for the people to own and enjoy it, which is the case for Carnival Calabar.

“The carnival lived up to my expectations, from the impressive crowd, quality of performances, smooth organisation to safe enjoyment for all,” Uko said.

But one of the resounding testimonies of the 20th and milestone edition of the carnival is from the Nzerems, a father and son, who arrived from the UK to see and enjoy the carnival for the first time.

Ejike Nzerem, and his 87-year-old father were everywhere at the carnival, from the flagg off at the Millennium Park to the adjudications points.

“We were told it is a world famous carnival and what we have seen so far confirmed it,” Ejike, enthused.

He was seen entering local shops at will to buy drinks, water and peanut.

For the father, who hails from Imo State, the peace, love, excitement and safety on the streets of Calabar say a better story of Nigeria.

“People should come and experience this joy, share the stories, and not the negative things,” the father urged, while assuring on a return visit for the 2026 edition, God willing.

Apart from the Nzerems, many dispoaras graced the carnival,  while Nigeria emptied into Calabar as one observer put it considering the humongous crowd on the streets, and the stadium overflowing with spectators at every event of the carnival.

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