Oyo State Government has unveiled plans for the 2026 World Egungun Festival, saying that over 18,000 participants and notable dignitaries are set to attend and participate actively in the festival, including cultural practitioners, tourists, and dignitaries.

The state’s Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun, announced this during a media briefing in Ibadan ahead of the festival, noting that the event forms part of ongoing efforts by the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde to boost cultural tourism and preserve indigenous heritage.

He said that the festival would provide the state with an opportunity to showcase the Egungun culture, safeguard the ancestral roots and also be a strategic vehicle for income generation, cultural preservation, and international acceptability.

According to him, the two-day festival, scheduled for May 1 and 2, 2026, is a joint initiative of the state’s 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 (UI).

Olatunbosun explained that the festival would open with a symposium on May 1, 2026, at the Local Government Service Commission Building, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, by 10:00 a.m., with the Sahara Centre and the Institute of African Studies set to host over 10 scholarly presentations bordering on the Egungun phenomenon.

He added that the grand finale to be held on May 2, 2026, 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 that the symposium would address the creative economy of Egungun 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.

Also speaking, Prof. Sola Olorunyomi of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, noted that Egungun’s relevance extends beyond ritual into modern creative industries.

He, therefore, solicited support for the success of the festival for the benefit of the upcoming generations.