A new cultural festival exploring Nigeria’s heritage through art, architecture and traditional practices will be held in Abuja from December 1 to 5, 2026.
The event, titled Carnival of Stories, is being organised by creative storytelling agency JT Agency under the theme “This Is Nigeria: Chapter By Chapter.”
A central feature of the festival will be a hand-built clay city designed to give visitors an immersive experience of Nigeria’s cultural traditions.
Organisers said the concept draws on Nigeria’s long tradition of earth-based architecture and will explore how traditional building techniques and cultural practices remain relevant in contemporary society.
The festival will present different aspects of Nigeria’s cultural heritage as interconnected parts of a broader national story.
Visitors will enter through a zaure, a traditional reception space associated with hospitality and welcome, before moving through areas inspired by ancestral traditions, Durbar culture and masquerade practices. The experience will conclude at the Impluvium, a space designed for reflection.
Across the five-day programme, visitors will also encounter exhibitions and activities covering food, art, history, architecture and spirituality, with cultural practitioners and custodians expected to participate.
Bayo Omoboriowo, chief executive of JT Agency and lead curator of the festival, said the project was intended to move Nigerian storytelling beyond conventional formats by making cultural stories “physical and immersive”.
Organisers said the use of earth-based architecture would also form part of discussions around traditional building practices, sustainability and the place of indigenous knowledge in contemporary design.
Adeorike Aderibigbe, creative director and project lead for Carnival of Stories, said the festival would highlight the breadth of Nigerian creativity across craftsmanship, visual culture and traditional art forms.
The organisers said further details on the festival programme and visitor participation would be announced ahead of the event.
