Nigeria's Ojude Oba Festival: Culture and Colour Come Out in Praise of a King

Beyond the Horses: The symbolism behind Ojude Oba’s equestrian parade

The equestrian parade at the Ojude Oba festival held on June 8, 2025 is not a case of mere showmanship but a presentation of the century-old honour and heritage. What many may not know is that the horse riding display at Ojude Oba is part and parcel of the Ijebu tradition, especially from ages back when royal families and warriors were accorded their well-deserved respect. The Baloguns, the Eleshins: their equestrian parade on the pavilion is a …

Nigeria's Ojude Oba festival: Culture and colour come out in praise of a king

A festival in south-west Nigeria combines fashion and fun connecting people to their roots.

Ojude Oba: Cultural celebration as brand strategy

Ekiti Tourism DG Calls for Enhanced Crowd Management At Ojude Oba Festival

Barrister Wale Ojo-Lanre, Director General of the Ekiti State Bureau of Tourism Development, who recently attended the Ojude Oba festival in Ijebu Ode, has issued a press release highlighting the critical need for improved crowd management and organizational strategies at the globally renowned cultural event. While commending the festival’s spectacular growth and vibrancy, Ojo-Lanre emphasized that unaddressed crowd control deficiencies could co…

Ojude Oba Festival: Its History, Culture, and Heritage

Photo Credit: Niyi Fagbemi/X Two days after Eid-el-Kabir, while many in Nigeria are still savouring the rhythms of the holiday, a different kind of celebration unfolds in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. The focus shifts from sacrifice and devotion to colour, fashion, and pageantry. This is Ojude Oba, a festival that reflects the enduring spirit of the Ijebu people. The festival began at a point of religious transition. In the 1800s, as Christianity expan…

Has the Ojude Oba Festival Been Commercialised in Nigeria?

The Ojude Oba Festival began as a simple, family-centred celebration on the third day after Eid-el-Kabir, where Ijebu people paid tribute to the Awujale with colourful parades, horse shows, and prayers.  The same festival draws well over 250,000 participants, including Ijebu indigenes, diaspora visitors, dignitaries, and cultural tourists, transformed into one of Africa’s marquee cultural … The post Has the Ojude Oba Festival Been Commercialised…