Events and Festivals
Nigeria Festivals and Celebrations
Three of Nigeria's inscribed traditions are gatherings you could in principle attend. Two of them are in states the FCDO restricts.
- Country Nigeria
- Category Events and Festivals
- Reviewed 20 August 2026
- Sources 4
- Length 2 min read
Credit Adamu galadima lifestyle, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Nigeria's calendar of gatherings is one of the richest in Africa, and this page has to do something the others in this series have not: say which of them are in places the UK government currently advises against traveling to.
That is not a reason to leave them out. It is a reason to be straight about them.
Sango, in Oyo
The Sango Festival of Oyo marks the beginning of the Yoruba traditional new year in August. UNESCO describes it as an ancestral worship held near the ancient Koso Temple, running for ten days and strongly connected to the social, religious, cultural and political institutions of Oyo State. It commemorates Tella-Oko, the third alaafin or king of the Oyo Empire, who is believed to be the incarnation of the mythical Sango.
Oyo State carries no FCDO regional restriction.
Argungu, and the Durbar
The Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival takes place near the Matan Fada River in the north west, over four days between late February and March. UNESCO describes kabanci, a series of water competitions including hand fishing, canoe racing and wild duck catching, alongside local wrestling and boxing.
Argungu is in Kebbi State, to which the FCDO advises against all but essential travel.
The Durbar in Kano, the horseback procession in the photograph above, is also on the Representative List. Kano State is likewise all but essential travel.
Both are extraordinary, and both are in places you should read the current advice about before making any plan.
If you want to be there for something
- Read the FCDO regional advice for the state the festival is in, not just for Nigeria.
- Confirm dates locally. Religious observances move against the solar year.
- Large gatherings are named in the advice as places where the terrorist threat is higher.
- Accommodation near a major festival is booked out well ahead.
- Ask before photographing, and never photograph security infrastructure.
Sources
- UNESCO: Sango Festival, Oyo
- UNESCO: Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival
- UNESCO: intangible heritage elements in Nigeria
- UK FCDO: Nigeria regional risks
The descriptions of the Sango Festival, Argungu and the Durbar are from their UNESCO inscriptions and the Nigeria state page. The regional restrictions are from the FCDO regional risks page. All read on 20 August 2026. The Sango Festival's inscription year is 2023.