Calabar on Thursday stood still as the parade of the bands took centre stage in the ongoing cultural festival christened “Carnival Calabar”.
The parade, which saw the various bands in their colourful costumes dance through the 12 kilometres carnival route, also saw a large number of residents, tourists and fun seekers cheering them.
Declaring the parade open, Gov. Bassey Otu of Cross River said they were bringing back the carnival in a bigger platform where it could truly be referred to as an international brand.
He added that the essence was to ensure that Cross River was really the choice tourism destination in Nigeria.
Some of the tourists from Lagos, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), said that the Calabar carnival was truly the biggest street party in Nigeria.
Mr Adebayo Adeyanju, a medical practitioner, who was attending the carnival for the second time with his wife and two kids, said it was really a spectacle to behold, adding that his kids were happy.
He, however, appealed to the government of Cross River to develop other tourism potentials of the state so that tourism would be an all-year-round activity not just in December – during the carnival.
“We have Obudu Cattle Ranch that is no longer functional; we have the Agbokim Waterfall and even Tinappa. All these great tourist sites were pushed down due to poor management,” he fumed.
Miss Clara Frederick, a Canadian, who was visiting Calabar for the first time, said she was having a good time as she had been treated well by the residents and would like to visit again in 2024.
There was massive presence of security officials at different parts of the city, especially along the carnival route, with vehicular movements effectively diverted.
This is to forestall a reoccurrence of the 2022 incident where some people lost their lives and many were injured by a recklessly driven vehicle which ran into the carnival route.
The various bands are expected to interprete the theme of the carnival which is: “The season of Sweetness.”
They are expected to perform at different adjudication points where they will be judged by a panel and the winning band will go home with a cash prize.
Some of the competing bands in the event include the Master Blaster Band and Seagull Band.
Others are Diamond Band, Bayside Band, Passion Four Band, Calas Vegas Band among others.
Carnival Calabar’s children festival returns after 8-year hiatus
Meanwhile, the children’s carnival segment of Carnival Calabar held on Wednesday as the children held revellers spellbound with different dance performances showcasing the rich cultural heritage of Cross River.
The children in their numbers performed radiating an aura of sweetness, in line with the theme for the carnival, “Season of Sweetness”.
No fewer than seven bands performed during the Children Carnival at the UJ Esuene Stadium, in Calabar.
The state government had in 2015 announced the temporal suspension of the Children Carnival which usually precedes the main festival.
The performances were unique as local music cutting across different languages were engaged in the course of the carnival.
The Bayside Band, who tagged their performance, “Circus of Happiness”, performed with Onyeka Onwenu’s music, “One Love”.
Also, Passion 4, the band with the most wins in the previous editions of the carnival exhibited heights of creativity with members during their parade using their bodies to create drums, guitars and keyboards.
They showcased the need for hardwork to become scholars and successful individuals.
Other bands like Masta Blasta, Freedom and Diamond also had their parade.
Ghana, Cameroon,15 States shine at 2023 cultural carnival in Calabar
Also, cultural troupes from Ghana, Cameroon and 15 States in Nigeria were among those that shone at the 2023 Calabar Cultural Carnival on Wednesday.
The event, which witnessed cultural performances from the 18 Local Government Areas of Cross River, had different cultural groups in colourful cultural attires.
Declaring the event open, the Deputy Governor, Mr Peter Odey, said it was “one of its kind as it is happening in the season of sweetness”.
In his remarks, Mr Gabe Onah, Chairman, Cross River Carnival Commission, said that out of the 22 states that expressed interest, 15 had arrived at the time of the flag-off of the cultural carnival.
Onah listed states that were on ground to include Enugu, Kebbi, Edo, Rivers, Kaduna, Kwara, Yobe, Ondo, Ekiti and Akwa Ibom.
“Today marks the bedrock of our tomorrow. Culture is what unites us. It is our true strength. We are live with over 15 million viewers on DSTV and other platforms.”
In an interview, however, the leader of the Akwa Ibom continent, Ms Abigail Akpakip, said that the attendance was “a bit low due to the economic situation in the nation”.
While commending the government of Cross River for a good organisation, Akpakip said the few states that were in attendance were passionate about showcasing their cultural heritage.
Also, Mr Haruna Abu, leader of the cultural troupe from Ondo State, said the carnival was an improvement from what they saw in the previous years.
He added that they were okay with the logistics and accommodation for the troupes
The performing States and local governments were judged at different adjudication points on the carnival route.
The criteria for determining the best performing states included the costume, dance, use of time and presentation of the theme.
Prizes are to be awarded to the best three states and local governments.