By Matthew Johnson

The Eledumare Festival will run for 21 days across communities in Yorubaland, organisers announced on March 15, 2026 as preparations begin for the 2026 edition aimed at celebrating God, promoting culture and boosting tourism.

The festival, organised by the Olokun Festival Foundation OFF, will run from March 15 to April 7, with the grand finale scheduled for April 7, 2026.

Speaking at a press conference held at Oodua House in Ikeja, Lagos, Chairman of the 2026 Eledumare Festival Organising Committee, Mr. Kolawole Raheem, said the annual festival is a 21 day celebration dedicated to honouring God while showcasing the cultural heritage of the Yoruba people.

Raheem, who spoke on behalf of the founder of OFF and Mr. Gani Adams, described the festival as a spiritual and cultural platform that has been sustained for 14 consecutive years.
“The Eledumare Festival is a remarkable celebration dedicated to honouring God Almighty. It also showcases the rich cultural heritage and traditions that define us as a people in Yorubaland,” he said.

According to him, activities will begin on March 17 with a prayer session to God at Oodua House, Ezekiel street in ikeja in Lagos, after which a series of programmes will take place across host communities. These include sporting competitions such as boxing, football tournaments, beach soccer, taekwondo and table tennis, alongside traditional games including draft, ludo and ayo olopon .

Meanwhile other highlights of the festival include a Harvest of Praise, a fashion show and humanitarian programmes, including a special outreach for widows.

The organisers also plan visits to schools for the blind and motherless babies’ homes as part of efforts to extend support to vulnerable members of society.

Raheem said the festival had over the years contributed to cultural promotion, tourism development and economic activities in host communities by playing important role in Fostering lasting peace within our society.

He noted that the 21-day festival attracts commerce worth billions of naira as it moves through various communities, stimulating trade and social interaction.

According to him, the organisers believe the festival has also contributed to relative peace in the South-West through spiritual and cultural engagement. He also added that the festival is unique because it focuses solely on the worship of God and is not tied to the activities of any religious prophet, unlike global religious festivals.

Raheem said OFF has sustained the festival for 14 years without government grants or corporate sponsorship, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, he called on corporate organisations to support the festival to expand its impact.

The festival organiser also urged the Federal Government to prioritise cultural festivals as tools for tourism development, saying Nigeria’s tourism potential remains largely untapped.
He said festivals such as Eledumare could grow into internationally recognised events comparable to global cultural festivals if properly promoted and become comparable to the Rio Festival in Brazil, the Notting Hill Festival in the United Kingdom, the Holi Festival in India, the cultural Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland, the Songkran water festival in Thailand, and other important festivals

He narrated that Since when the Eledumare Festival has been established , Yoruba people have started progressing remarkably on all fronts – in politics, in commerce and trade, and even in the Diaspora and Nigerian Tourism Development Authority must actively develop and promote Nigeria as a travel and tourism destination to encouraging Nigerians to take holidays within the country and to attract international visitors. This must definitely include promoting local festivals as unique cultural attractions.

He also stated that The NTDA, must specifically promote and market tourist attractions, including festivals, historic sites, museums, parks, game reserves, beaches and holiday resorts. This includes publicising local festivals to both domestic and international audiences where he described Tourism in Nigeria is an underutilised hidden cash cow when compared to the oil sector, which the government currently considers as it’s major income earner.
“ For instance, while many Nations have taken tourism to levels where it contributes averagely about 10 percent to their Gross Domestic Product , it only contributes a mere 3.6 percent to Nigeria’s GDP, according to 2022 data.

It is high time we diversified our economy beyond the oil industry. We have to look into tourism as a potential income generator for the country.” He narrated.

Raheem added a closing remarks of other festivals that were projected as prominent festivals in Yorubaland, that in the future, this festival would have gained prominence such that the Federal Government will deem it fit to declare public holiday to celebrate the Eledumare Festival.