In this article,platinumtimes.ng explores brief facts about the Calabar Carnival.
Calabar is the capital city of Cross River State in Nigeria.
It is often referred to as the Canaan City and located in Southern Nigeria adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa Rivers and Falls as well as the creeks of the Cross River.
The major languages spoken here are the Efik, Ejagham, Bekwara, English language, French etc.
Calabar is globally known for its outstanding activities and events especially during the festive period.
Among this events is the Calabar Carnival.
The carnival was kick-started by the former Governor, Mr Donald Duke in 2006 and it is celebrated annually every December to mark the Christmas Celebration.
The vision behind it’s inception was to make Cross River State a tourist destination in Nigeria, Africa and the world at large that is why this carnival is is often tagged “Africa’s Biggest Street Party” because of the poise and the rich cultural heritage that it displays.
Origin
The former Governor, Mr. Donald Duke had a vision of showcasing Cross River State’s rich cultural heritage to the world, so he started the Calabar Carnival in 2004 but over the years the carnival has evolved to be instrumental in promoting Africa’s cultural heritage through music, dance, theater and visual creativity, which is reflected in the design of carriages, costumes and makeup.
Carnival activities
The activities for the carnival officially begins with a Tree-Lightning ceremony at the Millennium Park.
Other activities are 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.
Some of the events are sports competition, Essay writing competition based on the theme of the carnival, Pageantry, Boat regatta, Fashion shows, Christmas village, masquerade displays, music and dance perfrmances by local and International artists.
Competing bands
There are usually five competing bands that takes part in the carnival float just to go back with the awards.
The bands are the Seagull band, the Master Blaster band, the Bayside band, the Passion-4 band, the Freedom band and just recently, new bands were introduced, the Diamond band and the Kalasvegas Band.
There are also non- competing bands that joins the carnival float, they are the Governor’s band, the Hit FM band etc.
These bands parade through the major streets in the city and converge at the U.J Esuene sports stadium in Calabar where the winning band will be announced.
The Seagull Band
The Seagull is recognised by the Red color and is known as the most stylish and coordinated band.
It was registered in 2005 and is led by the former Senator, Sen. Florence Ita-Giwa.
The band aims to promote in a sustainable way of improving tourism, charity, talents, innovation and Africa’s rich cultural heritage.
These band over the years has been famous for housing most of the top celebrities in Nollywood including Rita Dominic, Emeka Onyiocha, Jim Iyke, Okon Lagos, Sam Dede, Labista,Ini Edo, Tonto Dikeh, Ramsey Nuoah, Pete Edochie and more.
The Masta Blasta Band
Masta Blasta is the orange and largest band founded in 2005 with over 10,000 participants from different ethnicity.
The Bayside band
Bayside band is recognised by the aqua-marine color, blue.
It is led by the former Governor and pioneer of the Calabar carnival, Gov. Donald Duke.
Participation in this band is not restricted to foreigners and visitors.
The Passion 4 Band
It is easily identified by it’s ever Green color and known to be the most successful band for years.
It’s been recorded as crowned champions and the most outstanding band of all.
It’s participants includes both children and adults.
The Freedom Band
The Band of Freedom is defined by the colour yellow.
This band has always been ranked in the top three bands ever since the inception of the carnival.
Carnival Themes
Since the inception of the Calabar Carnival, different themes have been integrated and used to develop activities which guides the festivity every year.
These themes usually touch on conflicts, events or realities of the country, the region and the world.
Below is a rundown of the themes till date.
- 2008: Supporting the treasures of the Earth through our culture
- 2009: Land of our birth, our people, our heritage
- 2010: Our strength and resilience; the bedrock of our future
- 2011: Endless possibilities
- 2012: The new dawn
- 2013: We are not held back
- 2014: Time to Celebrate
- 2015: Climate Change
- 2016: Climate Change; Bigger, bolder, better.
- 2017: Migration
- 2018: Africanism
- 2019: Humanity
- 2022: Agro- Industrialization
- 2023: Season of Sweetness
Carnival Dates
The Calabar Carnival is a month long festivity comprising of different activities in each week from 1st to 31st December.
The Carnival week often takes place at the last week in the month of December from 25th to 31st of December to herald the new year.