Carnival Calabar 2022: South Africa remains unbeatable, Passion 4 also wins

THE biggest street party in Africa, Carnival Calabar kicked off at the usual starting point, the 11-11 roundabout with unprecedented jubilation as the various groups lined up for the carnival parade from 12 km.

It's the first after the pandemic and turnout was massive as usual with spectators lining along Carnival Street to watch and cheer on revelers as they enjoy the street party with their families and friends. The city has once again felt the razzmatazz of the street party, which is one of the highlights of the state's 32-day festival, an annual tourist ritual that gives everyone the opportunity to not only do thriving business for a months, but also to create time to enjoy a long holiday that ushered in Christmas and the New Year.

Dressing in their band colors next to their tank, the bands Freedom, Masta Blasta, Seagull, Bayside, CalasVegas, Passion 4, Diamond and other unofficial bands played trendy music that joins the street carnival the Parcours de 12km.

The Passion 4 group emerged victorious at Carnival Calabar 2022 with a total score of 1,762 points while second and third positions went to Seagulls and Calas Vegas. The others are Freedom-fourth, Bay-side-(fifth), Masta Blasta-(sixth) and Diamond in seventh position.

For the International Carnival, Team South Africa, dazzled by their energy and strategic style of performance, emerged victorious, while Teams Brazil and Lithuania placed second and third respectively.

The cultural carnival, which paraded the beautiful colors of people's clothes and dance steps, saw Odukpani LGA come out on top in this category, while Calabar South LGA came second and Ogoja LGA clinched third place.

Speaking on the sidelines of the carnival, Cross River State Governor Prof. Ben Ayade, who was delighted with what the carnival has become with his addition, said he was pleased with n not only built on what it had encountered on the ground, but also added more innovations to bring it to an enviable level.

He said, “Before I became governor, I made a commitment to internationalize the Calabar Carnival and when I was elected, I made it a reality. Today, I feel so fulfilled that we have people not only from Africa but from all over the world; from the Caribbean and Europe all gathered here, dancing in the street without any aggression. It shows that the melting pot of African entertainment is here in Calabar.

Carnival Calabar has continued to gain more international reference and acceptance due to the renewed energy of organizers and other consultants making things happen as they go, and this effort put together has become a statement in fact who made the biggest street party a marquee event for the participating contingents.

TravelpulseandMICE during an exclusive conversation with some of the participating countries came to understand that Carnival is not only a platform for cultural celebration and competition, but also a stepping stone to other major stages in the world.

According to Ghana Contingent Leader, Mr. Kwame Dadzie, “Carnival Calabar is what we always look forward to after our first and after several carnival appearances, we have received more invitations from global events to come and play .

"The Calabar Carnival is one of the biggest things that has ever happened to us and we have improved our offerings to come out on top when presenting the carnival internationally.

When we found out we were coming to Carnival Calabar, I told the person who called me (Ambassador Ikechi Uko) that I was going to pop a bottle of champagne to celebrate the return of Carnival.

"Every year on Christmas, the whole world turns to the biggest street party, because if you're not there, you're nowhere; which was also the broadcast speech of the governor.”

On the impact of carnival on the Ghanaian band, Dadzie said that Carnival Calabar is featured on DSTv and other platforms which has taken us to the international stage and it has given us a lot of gigs.

"We have traveled to many countries because many booking agencies look at the platform, which has increased the number of invitations from all over the world.

"As I speak to you, there is France on the way after our performance in Calabar."

For the Tanzanian contingent, Team Leader Charity Githinji said, “Carnival Calabar is a masterpiece of reaching the world in one step. Also, it is a place to show unity in the joint promotion of rich cultural pride in the world.

"Our participation in the international carnival has given us the platform to showcase Tanzania's rich heritage and offerings...