AFRICANS BIGGEST STREET PARTY CALABAR CARNIVAL IT IS TAGGED AS THE BIGGEST STREERT PARTY IN AFRICA.IT WAS CREATED AS PART OF THE VISIOION OF MAKING THE CROSS RIVER IN NIGERIA THE NUMBER ONE TOURIST DESTINATION.THE CARNIVAL BEGINS ON EVERY 1 ST DECEMBER AND LAST TILL 31 ST DECEMBER. CONTENTS HISTORY PROGRAMMES PARTICIPANTS `IMPACTS AND IMPROVEMENTS CARNIVAL BANDS CARNIVAL PAGENTRY CHILDRENS CARNIVAL ESSAY COMPETITION CULTURAL PARADE HISTORY The Calabar Carnival has come a long way. It all started 2004, when the governor of Cross River State, Mr Donald Duke, had a vision of making his state the hub for tourism and hospitality in Nigeria and in Africa.[1] The Carnival presents a perfect platform from brand visibility for consumer and market awareness. "According to Osima-Dokubo, the carnival aimed to include more aspects of local heritage and culture and at the same time strengthen the capacity of the locals to participate in an economically beneficial way",. Recently, Cross River State and Calabar has become the pride of Nigeria or Africa as far as tourism, carnivals and hospitality is concerned. PROGRAMMES The programme of the event at the carnival are drafted each year by the committee in charge of tourism and cultural activities and new initiatives are introduced every year. In December 2009, Carnival Committee organized "Carnival Cup 2009", a football competition amongst the five competing carnival bands - Seagull, Passion 4, Masta Blasta, Bay side and Freedom. The Festival which also include music performance from both local and international artists, the annual Calabar Carnival, Boat regatta, Fashion shows, Christmas Village, traditional dances and the annual Ekpe Festival is a yearly events that bring in thousands of tourists at the time of the year. Other activities lined up for the year according to their work plan, include the second edition of Essay Writing Competition which will involve both secondary school and tertiary students, and this will commence in few weeks. These competitions are aimed at resuscitating the reading culture amongst the youths of the State as well as inculcating the carnival culture. PARTICIPANTS The event has hosted top Nigerian musicians, Nollywood Actors, Politicians and international artists. Over the last 4 years international artists like, the late Lucky Dube, Akon, Fat Joe, Young Jeezy, Nelly, Kirk Franklin, and many more has thrilled the large crowd of Nigerians and tourist from outside the country. Due to large crowd and fans that Nigerians artist carries, 2013 Calabar Carnival would focus on Nigerian artist. CARNIVAL BANDS MASTER BLASTER https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QzM_VbR4MY IMPACTS AND IMPROVEMENTS 2013 Edition of the Carnival Calabar Festival which is themed "Aint no stopping Us" which was unveiled by the Governor of the State Sen. Liyel Imoke of Cross River State says it will hit an all-time high level. Please don't miss out of this opportunity. Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, has restated that even though the annual Calabar Festival has been growing bigger every year, the 2013 edition will hit an all-time high level. a Nigerian artist rather than a foreign star, would headline this years event. This decision was taken following the observation by the Festival Planning Committee that Nigerian headliners consistently pull larger crowds than their international counterparts. This is a huge success and growth to the State. With Tinapa as the backdrop, and supported by Nollywood stars and major corporate sponsors, Governor Imoke made this declaration in a in world press conference in where he invited Nigeria and the rest of the world to Africas Biggest Street Party. Governor Imoke declared that the beauty of Nigeria is wholly expressed in the Calabar Festival and the unique brand should be jealously protected and promoted by all. He therefore used the occasion to call on the Federal Government and private sector to invest more in the creative industry, as it holds a lot for the country as regards revenue earnings. CARNIVAL PAGENTRY Carnival Calabar Queen(CCQ) is a charity event organized by the Cross River State Carnival Commission in collaboration with MACA(Mothers against Child Abandonment) whose primary objective is to preserve the lives of vulnerable mothers and children. MACA has as shelter called the Refuge which is a home for pregnant teenage girls at risk. It was initiated by the wife of the Governor of Cross River State, Mrs. Obioma Liyel-Imoke, who is passionate about the plight of these vulnerable people and believes that every unborn child has a right to live. The CCQ Pageant is aimed at encouraging and educating young women to uphold the virtue of abstinence from pre-marital sex and preserving the sanctity of womanhood. The queen is a role model for budding young women faced with the daily presures of society and their peers. All proceeds from the Grand Finale Dinner go to support the Refuge, the upkeep of these vulnerable girls and the rescue of abandoned babies. QUEEN FOR 2014 CHILDRENS CARNIVAL This was introduced in 2007 by His Excellency Senator Liyel Imoke to involve children in the Carnival experience. It features children from the 5 Carnival bands, public and private schools, orphanages and young tourists. The Childrens Carnival parade involves over 5,000 children with an audience of over 20,000 people lining the 4 kilometre route. It ends up at the stadium for a childrens Christmas party hosted by the wife of the Governor, Her Excellency Mrs. Obioma Liyel-Imoke. CHILDRENS CARNIVAL ESSAY COMPETITION This annual essay writing competition aims to revive the culture of reading, writing and scholarship among our young people, which is being threatened by a steady diet of movies, music videos and computer games. COMPETITION PRIZES Prizes: Secondary Schools Scholarship worth up to N500,000 to the Best Essay Writer Personal laptop computer to the 3 Best Essays in the competition 5,000 textbooks for the 10 Best Schools in the competition (500 per school in 10 subjects:Mathematics, English Language, English Literature, History, Biology, Physics, Integrated Science, Agriculture, Economics and Fine Arts) 50,000 sponsor-branded exercise books for the 10 Best Schools of the competition U p to 20,000 sponsor-branded pens, pencils, rulers mathematical sets and bags Prizes: Tertiary Institutions Scholarship award worth N1 million to the Best Essay writer Personal laptop computers for the 3 Best Essays 5,000 sponsor-branded hard cover exercise books for the 5 Best Departments CULTURAL PARADE The Cultural Parade is one of the unique aspects that makes Carnival Calabar such a special event. It stands out as a powerful symbol of Nigerian diversity and unity, showcasing ethnic costumes and traditional dress from across the country in a breathtaking spectacle. The Carnival Parade is the climax of a potpourri of events offered by the Cross River State Carnival Commission, some of which are featured here. CULTURAL ATTIRES MERRY CHRISTMAS THANKYOU BY PEACE PHILEMON