The 2026 Lagos Fanti Carnival came alive on Easter Monday at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Lagos Island, with electrifying performances from some of Nigeria’s top music stars.
Headliners included Teni, 9ice, Niniola, Reminisce, and Terry Apala, alongside rising talents like Pereira, Dimeji, Serrano, Taiye, Tete, and the duo Wanni & Handi. The musicians kept fans dancing with high-energy Afrobeat, Afro-house, Apala, and street-hop performances.
The carnival, themed “A Homecoming of Heritage,” showcased Lagos’ rich Afro-Brazilian roots with colourful street marches, vibrant costumes, samba-inspired rhythms, masquerades, and Yoruba cultural displays. Seven historic Lagos Island communities, including the Brazilian Campos Carreta Carnival Association, Isale-Eko Woro Carnival Association, and Okoo-Faji Carnival Association, led the parades.
Dignitaries such as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, and Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzatattended, celebrating Lagos’ unique cultural heritage.
The event, organised with the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and Nuru Lab, included a pre-carnival summit on April 2 at Glover Memorial Hall to explore the economic potential of cultural festivals in tourism, trade, and cultural exchange.
