About this event
A combination of the New Yam Festival (Iriji) and Masquerade Festival (Mmanwu) in Nsukka, Enugu State, this event celebrates harvest, ancestry, and masquerade performances.

The streets become a theater of culture as colourful masquerades entertain the crowds with masked dances, symbolic acts, and drumming. The yam harvest is also honoured, with elders leading prayers and communal feasting.

The festival provides a unique fusion of Igbo agricultural rituals and spiritual masquerade traditions.

The Iriji-Mmanwu Festival in Enugu State is a vibrant cultural event that celebrates the Igbo people’s rich heritage through masquerade performances and the New Yam Festival. Traditionally, this festival is held annually in August, aligning with the yam harvest season. During the festivities, over two thousand masqueraders from across Igbo land and other Nigerian states participate in dances and acrobatic displays, adorned in unique and colourful costumes. In Igbo tradition, these masquerades are believed to represent reincarnated ancestors with supernatural powers.

However, some sources indicate that the festival may also occur in October or November, depending on local customs and scheduling