The Nigerian tourism industry has once again proved its resilience at this year’s edition of the annual Osun Osogbo Festival, where a mammoth crowd stormed the ancient city for 11-day cultural fiesta and religious pilgrimage.
This year’s festival, according to observers, surpassed other editions across board, especially in participation as over 500,000 people, including pilgrims, tourists, scholars, diplomats, and cultural enthusiasts from within and across the world, thronged Osogbo, the Osun State capital, on August 7, 2026, for the grand finale.
With over 50,000 foreign guests, many tourism and security experts were excited that the festival drew more foreigners this year than in the previous editions, especially South Americans, Europeans and Nigerian Diasporas, who came to celebrate a 600-year-old tradition at the Osun Sacred Grove, the second World Heritage Site in Nigeria, after Sukur in Adamawa State.
According to the observers, the mammoth crowd, especially the impressive number of foreign guests at the festival, spoke volumes on the resilience of the tourism industry, despite the many reports on the country’s insecurity challenge, which are often over exaggerated.
They also noted that the foreign guests braved the many insecurity reports, post elections violence and probably, ignored their various country’s travel advisory to attend the festival this year.
‘We keep talking down on our country, while others see potential here. I lost count of many foreigners at the festival this year, who braved security reports and their country’s travel advisory to attend. That is resilience,’ Jimoh Adigun, a tourism expert, said.
He explained further that at every election in Nigeria, there is usually uncertainty, with businesses and corporate organisations being cautious. ‘So, the festival faced that challenge too because it held a week to the Osun State gubernatorial election, with many calling to confirm if the festival will still hold,’ he said.
Bamidele Tiri-Oye, an Osogbo-based hotel manager, noted that bookings for the festival were initially very low, but picked when the government started assuring and reassuring visitors of safety during the festival.
‘We learnt that some foreigners who booked accommodation at Ibadan, canceled and moved to Osogbo a day before the grand finale of the festival. The government and the media helped in convincing them because the election is not a general one and Osun people are peaceful,’ he said.
According to Tiri-Oye, the huge turnout of attendees at the festival was so impressive that many thought it was a miracle, considering the campaigns that went violent, and actions and inactions of politicians and their supporters few days to the festival.
But Ganiyat Lukmon, a senior government official, noted that the government reached out to embassies, foreign delegations and Nigerian Diasporas to assure them of safety and peace during the festival.
‘We also reached out to royal fathers, community, women and youth leaders to ensure peaceful outing at Osun festival because the government believed that a peaceful festival on August 7th, would calm nerves in the state during the election on August15th,’ Lukmon said.
As well, Ehis Iyase, a tour operator, commended the impressive turnout at the festival, attributing it to the safety, innovations and new offerings at this year’s festival.
‘In the past five years, I have led some foreign clients from a few embassies to the festival. But, this year, the embassies were reluctant at releasing their people due to the reports on our escalating insecurity. But I went there earlier to see things myself and reported back to them. I think, that situation report convinced them, and Osun State is not an insecurity hotbed,’ he explained.
He also thinks that the organisers and their partners did well in repacking the festival this year with specific highlights for potential visitors.
‘I think Princess Alimot Moredeke Ajoke Osunbunmi was the highlight for many. The 10-year-old girl is the new Arugba. She succeeded Osuntomi Ewatomi, who served as Arugba for about 12 years before getting married,’ he said.
‘Many were eager to see her for the first time, carrying the sacred calabash of offerings and leading other devotees along the traditional mile-long procession from the Ataoja’s Palace to the sacred Osun Shrine.
‘So, the young ritual bearer, who was selected through the traditional Ifa divination process in March 2025, was top among the reason many came, especially foreigners’.
Many also think that the many corporate and cultural events pulled the local crowd, especially vibrant community villages, musical performances, and contemporary cultural exchanges.
But the visit to Nike Art Gallery at Osogbo for artifacts was a good reason to visit this year, according to Antonio Luiz, a Brazilian doctor, who has visited thrice since 2021.
For Luiz, the Osun festival reiterates Nigeria’s position as the hub of culture and entertainment in Africa.
‘We hear stories about Nigeria, but when you visit, you see a different thing. Nigeria is a great country and root of many of us in the Americas. We will keep coming to identify with our roots,’ he assured.
Lukmon urged the like of Luiz and more African Diasporas to visit even after the festival as safety is assured, while politics has never disrupted the Osun festival in its 600 years history.