Nigeria's most famous Yoruba festival returns in 2026: the Osun-Osogbo Festival builds across late July to a grand finale on Friday, August 7, 2026. Follow the days remaining on our live Osun-Osogbo countdown.
When is the Osun-Osogbo Festival 2026?
The 2026 edition runs for about two weeks, beginning in late July and climaxing with the grand finale procession on Friday, August 7, 2026. Because the festival follows the Yoruba traditional calendar, the exact dates shift slightly each year and are confirmed by the organisers ahead of time. Organisers have said they expect hundreds of thousands of participants in Osogbo, in Osun State, southwestern Nigeria.
What is the festival about?
Osun-Osogbo honours Osun, the Yoruba goddess of fertility and the river that flows through the city. Its heart is the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, a forest of shrines and sculptures on the banks of the river that was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 — one of the last sacred groves of its kind in Yorubaland.
How it is celebrated
- Iwopopo — the ritual cleansing of the town to open the festival.
- The lighting of the 16-point lamp (Olojumerindinlogun), said to be around 500 years old.
- Iboriade — the assembly of the crowns of past rulers of Osogbo.
- The grand finale, when the Arugba (a votary maiden) carries sacred offerings on her head in a vast procession to the river, alongside the Ataoja, the king of Osogbo.
Count down to the festival
Open the live Osun-Osogbo countdown for the exact days remaining, explore more festival countdowns from around the world, or create your own countdown.