The Kalabari Nation will on Monday, November 16, 2026, celebrate its New Year Festival at Minama in Asari-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, in a cultural event aimed at promoting the history, identity and traditions of the Kalabari people.
The annual celebration is expected to bring together Kalabari sons and daughters, traditional rulers, cultural enthusiasts and visitors for a day of cultural displays, music, dance and other traditional activities.
Chairman of the Kalabari Renaissance Foundation, Harry Awolayeofori MacMorrison, described the New Year as a period of renewal for the Kalabari people, explaining that the celebration was rooted in the natural cycle of the tides and the geographical environment of the kingdom.
According to him, the Kalabari territory is a saline environment which experiences the influx of fresh water from the Sombrero River at certain periods.
He explained that on November 15, the tide changes direction, taking the fresh water that had entered the saline river system back to the Sombrero River, thereby marking the end of the traditional year.
“On the 15th is the end of the year. Normally, when there is an end, there is a new beginning. On the 16th of November is the beginning of the Kalabari calendar,” he said.
MacMorrison described the festival as more than a cultural gathering, noting that it represents the renewal of the people and provides an opportunity for the Kalabari to reconnect with their roots, strengthen communal bonds and preserve their heritage for future generations.
Tracing the historical origins of the celebration, he said the Kalabari New Year Festival had been observed annually for centuries, dating back to the pre-slave trade era when the people lived together at their ancestral settlement known as Elem Kalabari or Torusaramapiri, popularly referred to today as Old Shipping.
He explained that the unified celebration eventually stopped following the migration of Kalabari communities from Elem Kalabari to their present settlements about 150 years ago.
The migration saw the people establish communities in Bakana, Abonnema, also known as Nyemoni, and Buguma, located in Degema, Akuku-Toru and Asari-Toru local government areas of Rivers State.
The November 16 celebration at Minama is expected to provide an opportunity to revive the spirit of unity among the people and reinforce their shared cultural identity despite their geographical spread across different communities.
Organisers have called on Kalabari people, their families and friends, as well as visitors, to participate in the festival and experience the rich cultural expressions, hospitality and traditions of the kingdom.
