2026 Olokun World Festival: 30 Monarchs, Over 100,000 Guests, Expected in Badagry

2026 Olokun World Festival: 30 Monarchs, Over 100,000 Guests, Expected in Badagry

By Our Reporter

The 24th edition of the Olokun World Festival will hold on October 19 and 20 at Kakanfo-Falola Beach, Badagry, Lagos State, with more than 100,000 guests and over 30 traditional rulers expected to attend.

The Olokun Festival Foundation (OFF) announced that the festival would bring together traditional rulers, government officials, cultural enthusiasts and tourists from Nigeria and other parts of the world to celebrate Yoruba heritage and traditions.

The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, who is also the Chief Promoter of the festival, said the event had grown into a major cultural attraction, promoting the cultural identity of the Yoruba people and strengthening ties with Africans in the diaspora.

According to Iba Adams, in a signed statement, copy of was available to newsmen on Sunday, contingents of participants have confirmed their attendance from Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, France, the United Kingdom, Brazil, the United States and several Caribbean countries.

Among the dignitaries expected at the festival are Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu; the Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Toke Benson-Awoyinka; and the chairmen of Badagry Local Government, Badagry West Local Council Development Area and Olorunda LCDA.

More than 30 traditional rulers are also expected, led by the Royal Father of the Day, HRM Oba Olalekan Sejiro James Henwa, Ogungbe Okiki Arolagbade II, the Aholu of Kweme Kingdom, alongside the Regent of Badagry, White Cap Chief Ajose Oloyede, Huji Tose II, Finhento of Badagry.

The Foundation said the festival would celebrate Olokun, the revered deity associated with the deep sea, wealth, creativity and the mysteries of life, through traditional ceremonies, music, arts and crafts.

It added that the annual gathering provides an opportunity for participants to reconnect with Yoruba cultural and spiritual values while promoting unity and cultural pride among Yoruba people and friends of Africa worldwide.

The activities, according to the Foundation, will begin on Tuesday, October 13, with prayers to Almighty God at 11 a.m. at Oodua House, Ikeja, Lagos, saying that a beauty pageant to select a new Miss Olokun is scheduled for Saturday, October 17, at 4 p.m.

The main festival programme will feature Olosa Day on Monday, October 19, including a boat regatta at 2 p.m. and a midnight prayer at Kakanfo-Falola Beach, Badagry.

The organisers further said that members of the Oodua Peoples' Congress (OPC) will also participate in a special vigil in front of Olokun, with prayers for spiritual blessings for Nigeria, Yorubaland and Yoruba people at home and abroad.

The grand finale, described by the organisers as the Grand Dinale of the Olokun World Festival, will take place on Tuesday, October 20, at 11 a.m. at Kakanfo-Falola Beach.

The venue, which hosted the festival for the first time in 2025, is being developed into a tourism destination with facilities planned to include recreation centres, a hotel, a conference hall, a gymnasium, an Olympic-size swimming pool, a mini stadium and courts for sports such as tennis and beach soccer.

The Foundation said the festival also generates substantial economic benefits for the host community and Lagos State, with tourism and related activities contributing hundreds of millions of naira annually.

It, therefore, called on Nigerians and international visitors to participate in the event, describing it as an opportunity to experience Yoruba cultural heritage and support tourism development in Badagry.