What Is the Eyo Festival All About?
Eyo Festival 2025: Your Complete Guide to Lagos’s Most Iconic Cultural Event
The Eyo Festival, also known as the Adamu Orisha Play, is a traditional Yoruba celebration unique to Lagos Island. The masquerades represent ancestral spirits guiding departed souls to the afterlife, typically honouring deceased kings, chiefs, and prominent figures who’ve made significant contributions to Lagos.
The first recorded procession took place in 1854 for Oba Akitoye, and since then, the festival has only appeared when tradition calls for it. That rarity is part of what makes this return significant.
Five main Eyo groups take part, each recognised by the colour of their hats: Adimu in black, Laba in red, Oniko in yellow, Ologede in green and Agere in purple. Together, they form a procession that carries centuries of meaning.
The Eyo Festival is the living heartbeat of Lagos culture—an extraordinary spectacle where history, spirituality, and pageantry converge on Lagos Island. Rarely held and deeply symbolic, the festival transforms the city into a moving museum of Yoruba heritage, led by the iconic white-clad Eyo masquerades. For visitors, it offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the roots of Lagos traditions, royal customs, and communal identity. More than a festival, Eyo is a powerful cultural statement that positions Lagos as a premier destination for heritage tourism in Africa, celebrating its past while captivating the global audience.
This year’s festival is being staged in honour of four figures whose lives shaped Lagos in different ways. They include Abibatu Mogaji, the mother of President Bola Tinubu; Brigadier-General Mobolaji Johnson, Lagos State’s first military governor; Lateef Jakande, the state’s first civilian governor; and Michael Otedola, a former governor during the Third Republic.
Representing Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area and Lekki LCDA at the EYO FESTIVAL 2025, are
Engr. Abdullahi Sesan Olowa
Engr. Rasaki Bamidele Kasali
Engr. Abiola Olowu
And entourage
Credit: bellanaija.com
cover photo: @lifestyle.thecable.ng
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