Carnival Calabar @20: Culture Takes The Streets Of Cross River
THE 20th edition of Carnival Calabar opened on Friday with a vibrant cultural parade at Millennium Park, Millennium Park, pushing the streets of Calabar into a moving gallery of heritage, colour, and communal pride.
Contingents representing Cross River’s 18 local government areas formed the heart of the ceremony, presenting costumes, dance, and historical symbolism drawn directly from ancestral traditions.
Travel and tourism promoter Ikechi Uko, organiser of the AKWAABA African Travel and Tourism Market, described the procession as a deliberate tribute to the cultural identity of Cross River’s tribes, noting that the parade celebrated inherited traditions while the main street carnival on 29 December would represent a contemporary reinvention of that identity.
Correspondents observed massive community participation, with families, children, and traders blending into the parade’s carnival ecosystem, creating a lively mix of celebration and commerce. Delegations from multiple Nigerian states—including Delta, Edo, Kebbi, Rivers, Kebbi, Katsina, Ebonyi, Niger, Nasarawa, Osun and others—also joined the procession, showcasing regional food, music, costumes and dance.
The cultural train moved from Millennium Park through Edidem Usang Iso Road to Rabanna Roundabout before the event transitioned to the U.J. Esuene Stadium for the evening programme, closing at about 8.00 p.m.
