The Oyo State government has announced that over 18,000 participants and notable dignitaries are set to attend and participate actively in the 2026 World Egungun Festival.
Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun, disclosed when he addressed a press conference ahead of the festival.
He noted that the commitment of Governor ‘Seyi Makinde to tourism development has begun to yield positive results, with cultural tourism drawing massive attention to Oyo State.
He added that the festival will provide the state with an opportunity to showcase Egungun culture, safeguard ancestral roots and also be a strategic vehicle for income generation, cultural preservation, and international acceptability.
Olatunbosun said the festival was started by the Oyo State government in 2024 and it has sustained the desired momentum, projecting the age-long heritage and cultural values of the indigenous Yoruba people in the Diaspora.
He added that the 2-day festival, scheduled for 1-2 May, 2026, is a joint initiative of the Oyo State Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Adayeba Culture Tourism Foundation, The Sahara Centre, Ìjọ-Ọ̀jẹ̀ Parapọ̀ Welfare Association Worldwide, and the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan.
Olatunbosun explained that the 2026 World Egungun Festival will open with a symposium on May 1, 2026, at the Local Government Service Commission Building, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, by 10:00 a.m.
He added that the Sahara Centre and the Institute of African Studies are set to host over 10 scholarly presentations, bordering on the Egungun phenomenon.
According to him, the grand finale of the World Egungun Festival, holding on 2 May, would witness various exhibitions and performances of spectacular and magical egungun both local and international, cultural parades, traditional cuisine, Fuji music and a showcase of Nollywood and other artistic talents, among others.
In her goodwill message, representative of the Sahara Centre, Lagos, Omobolanle Osenbanjo, said the symposium would address the creative economy, tradition, tension, and transformation of the practice as Egungun encounters the digital world, global audiences and the terrain of global commercialisation.
She described the Egungun culture as a cornerstone of the Yoruba spirituality, which expresses the depth of the Yoruba ancestral relationship, communal identity, and existing practice of their culture.
She noted that the symposium is a call to action to recognise Egungun as a living evolving system with a potential to contribute meaningfully to the economic growth, social coercion, and global cultural dialogue.
Also speaking, Professor Sola Olorunyomi of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, noted that the relevance of Egungun extended beyond ritual into modern creative industries.
He appealed for public support for the success of the festival for the benefit of the upcoming generations.
The press conference event had in attendance the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju; Special Assistant to the Governor on Culture, Prince Salawu Yusuf;
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Mr Rotimi Babalola; the Araba Olu Isese of Ibadan, Chief Omikunle Egbelade; Baba of Yoruba Language, Chief Dipo Gbenro; and Chairman, Ajo Oje Parapo, Chief Adeola Ojebode, among other stakeholders.
