... One State, One Stage, Countless Possibilities!
The Calabar Festival Christmas Village is home to a 32-day event
of non-stop fun and entertainment every year, starting from December through to
January at the Calabar Municipal Local Government ground located on Marian
road, Calabar. Hundreds of stalls for vendors form a barricade on the
playing field, leaving the center for the audience who prefer to focus on the
gigantic and well lit stage.
The Calabar Festival Christmas Village offers a one-stop shop
for all recreational activities. There is definitely something for everyone,
children and adults. Moreover, with the MADE IN NAIJA EXHIBITION ongoing by the
sidewalks, one doesn’t necessarily have to go to the market to shop for some
basic household or gift items this yuletide.
Nelson NseAbasi writes:
Every day, fun seekers troop out in numbers to throng the
hitherto council office turn fun center, for a daily dose of fun and
entertainment. A Disc Jockey, MC and averages of ten (10) entertainers storm
the stage daily with creative renditions of music, comedy, drama and
dance.
The Governor of Cross River State, Senator Professor Ben Ayade
had tasked the organizing committee to ensure that the 2018 Calabar Festival
waxes bigger and stronger than last years’ event which experienced influx of
tourists to the tune of 1.6m and television viewership of 50million people.
Speaking to journalists during one of his visits to the Christmas Village, the
Commissioner for Culture & Tourism, Mr. Eric Anderson reaffirmed the
Governor’s intent to spice up the carnival and festival every year, as the
annual event enters its 15th edition, he said the introduction of the beach
carnival, the biker’s carnival, Formula K and other features are novel.
The Crowd- The Market
The massive crowd pours out from the nooks and crannies of
the city in their thousands to savour the delicacies and entertainment served
in the village, adding up to visitors from other states and countries visiting
the state for their annual holiday with family and friends. They form a crowd
of patronage for the exhibitors and vendors, they also make up audience for the
stage activities and performances.
Business & Brand Promotion Opportunities
The Calabar Festival Christmas Village and its activities bring
about a boom for different sectors of the economy, those who offer services
ranging from transportation, to Bed and Breakfast, Hospitality as a
whole.
It also creates an abode for small and medium scale enterprises,
vendors of drinks and other fast moving consumer goods to catch in on the money
making opportunity from the crowd.
DSTV, Cocacola, Nigerian Brewies, Guinness Nigeria, Dangote,
Indomie Noodles and MTN are outstanding among popular brands /companies who
have partnered with Cross River state government to enjoy the mileage the
Calabar Festival events offer their brands.
Talent Promotion
The stage offers the platform for many talents to hone their
stage performing skills, for those with good materials, the stage catapults
them to higher level in their career. It is indeed a true test of wits and
guts. If one is not confident enough, he or she could be blown away by the
shouts of the agile crowd.
King & Queen of Calabar Festival Xmas Village
Registration has begun for King & Queen of Calabar Festival
Xmas Village 2018. This is another interesting introduction is the King &
Queen of Calabar Festival Xmas Village. Rising from a keenly contested pageant,
Mr. Ishamali Kingsley Ishamali from Obudu Local Government Area and Miss Bassey
Mary-Kate Andor from Abi Local Government Area emerged the King and Queen of
2017 Calabar Festival Christmas Village, walking home with N100, 000 (One
Hundred Thousand Naira) each. The same amount is at stake this year, with other
juicy additional benefits.
In the words of the Special Assistant to Governor Ben Ayade on
Administration, Mr. Noel Ugbong, ‘asides entertaining the populace, the Calabar
Festival Xmas Village stage was set for the promotion of talents and virtues
amongst the youths, the pageant is born out of the desire to find a face that
will represent the Christmas Village and also promote initiatives to make the
Xmas Village bigger and better every year’.
Curtain Falls
The curtains fall on the Carnival Calabar & Festival events
after the Street Party, but the people still find their groove in the tourist
sites and recreational centers spread across the city. This is owing to the
fact that Cross River as a state creates an ambiance of fun and relaxation
which tourists find alluring.
The Calabar Festival Christmas Village having been declared open
on Saturday, December 1, 2018 to run till January 1, 2019 is open to
achieve all of the above and more for the government, residents and visitors. One
can make bold to say that the it offers countless possibilities for all
and sundry, being the true reflection of Cross River as ample place for
business and pleasure.
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