The Ikorodu-Oga Fanti Carnival will return to Nigeria’s Lagos State on 14 November, bringing together three historic communities for a celebration of traditional music, dance and cultural heritage.

Now in its second year, the carnival will feature street processions, elaborate costumes and performances by residents of Aga Parapo, Ijomu Parapo and Isele Alaro United, the three major quarters of Ikorodu.

The event, organised by the Ikorodu-Oga Development Association (IKODASS), has received official backing from the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

In a statement issued on 8 October, the organisers said the ministry had endorsed the carnival following a review of their proposal. The Lagos State Government is also expected to participate as an official partner.

The endorsement follows a separate commitment by Ikorodu Local Government to provide annual funding and institutional support for the event, as organisers seek to develop it into a recognised cultural and tourism attraction.

Three communities, one tradition

Each participating quarter will showcase its cultural identity through distinctive costumes and performances. Aga Parapo will wear green and white, Ijomu Parapo purple and yellow, and Isele Alaro United blue and red.

The programme includes traditional Woro processions, music, dance and community performances, culminating at Ikorodu Town Hall.

According to the organisers, the processions will begin at staggered times, with Aga Parapo setting off at noon, followed by Ijomu Parapo at 1pm and Isele Alaro United at 2pm.

Pelumi Olalekan Rado, the carnival’s initiator and coordinator, said at a media briefing in October that each quarter would have an opportunity to express its own creativity while maintaining the carnival’s shared cultural identity.

The Fanti tradition has historical links to Afro-Brazilian communities that emerged in Lagos during the 19th century, when formerly enslaved Africans and their descendants returned from Brazil and other parts of the Americas.

These returnees brought cultural influences that contributed to Lagos’s distinctive traditions of costumed street performances and festive processions. Over time, elements of these practices became intertwined with local Yoruba customs, music and celebrations.

While Fanti celebrations have a much longer history in Lagos, the Ikorodu-Oga Fanti Carnival was introduced in 2025 as part of the wider Ikorodu-Oga Day Festival, which began in 1992.

The inaugural edition brought participants from the town’s three major quarters together in a procession to the palace of the Ayangbure of Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Adewale Shotobi.

This year’s edition, themed “Heritage Inspiring Sustainable Development”, aims to strengthen community participation while promoting Ikorodu’s cultural traditions to a wider audience.

The organisers have moved the main gathering point to Ikorodu Town Hall, citing the need for more space and improved crowd and traffic management.

The carnival is scheduled to take place on Saturday, 14 November, with activities running from noon to 5pm.