Eko for show: Lagos earns big in art, entertainment season

…As businesses hit goldmine

Since the second week of October, Lagos has been bubbling more than ever in its entertainment, art, culture and tourism offerings, luring thousands of visits.

As some art and entertainment aficionados will always refer to their Lagos, ‘Eko for Show’, the city has always lived up to its billing as the entertainment and culture hub of Nigeria.

This year, ‘Eko’ as Lagos is fondly called by everyone who sees it as home, has surpassed expectations if you consider the many world class events that has held, especially since the last quarter of this year, the many visitors, the revenue earned by the states through taxes, and even vendors that are always smiling to the bank afterwards.

From the MUSON Festival, Lagos Fashion Week, to Banke Kuku’s, Oceans Fashion Show, to an impressive visual art season headlined by ART X Lagos, to carnival events like Afropolis, and to the just-concluded Lagos International Theatre Festival, the city has been a good host to many this year, especially other Africans, the Diasporas, foreigners and even the diplomatic community that always patronise the arts.

The development is cherished by many concerned Nigerians, especially now that the country needs positive stories to tell rather than the hardship tales saturating the social media daily.

Impactful numbers

Gathering over 1,000 creative people and attracting over 20,000 attendees for nine days, the Afropolis Festival was a highlight.

Hosted by QDance Centre in collaboration with the Lagos State government, the festival, from October 26 to November 3, 2024, turned Lagos to a truly epicentre of African creativity, welcoming artists, innovators, and enthusiasts from across the continent and beyond.

Residents around J.Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, Onikan and its environs witnessed colour and creativity on the streets for nine days.

As well, the annual MUSON Centre festival drew over 1000 music fans to the centre’s many performance and theatre halls, thrilling them with a bouquet of excitement across many art and entertainment genres.

On its part, ART X Lagos, West Africa’s leading international art fair, which has showcased over 2000 artists from over 70 countries since inception in 2016, boosted that feat in this year’s edition, which was held from October 31 to November 3, 2024 at The Federal Palace, Victoria Island, Lagos.

This year, the art fair, which has firmly established itself as the leading hub for African and diaspora creatives, gathered over 2000 attendees across the four days that it held, including;10 specially curated galleries from Lagos, Harare, Accra, and London, and 13 films by African and diaspora filmmakers.

Yet, an unprecedented surge of interest in the Lagos Fashion Week from international guests and creatives culminated in the over 60 designers and over 12,000 visitors, who immersed themselves in the electric atmosphere that only Lagos can provide at this year’s week-long show in October.

Of course, the Lagos International Theatre Festival (LITF), drew over 5,000 people across four venues; Terra Kulture, Muson Centre, University of Lagos, and Glover Hall, for the four days it was held from November 14-17, 2024.

The festival’s 25 enthralling plays in four venues, three international shows from United States, South Africa, Zambia, among others, transformed each of the venues into a theatrical hub, buzzing with vendors and interactive activities, making LITF a truly immersive experience for the attendees.

Read also: Eko for show: Lagos drums for unity in post-inauguration cultural fiesta

Empowerment opportunities

According to Bolanle Austen-Peters, a lawyer and celebrated stage and movie director/producer and the founder of the festival, the Lagos International Theatre Festival generated over 24,000 jobs for young people, from performers, production crew, set managers, designers, directors, logistics handlers, small shops outfits, to many others.

As well, Toke Benson-Awoyinka, commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Lagos State, saw beyond the well-curated excitement of Afropolis to the many job and networking opportunities it offered to the attendees.

“Afropolis is more than a festival; it is a platform for African creatives to come together, showcase their talents, exchange ideas, and collaborate on groundbreaking projects.

“It is a celebration of Lagos as the largest black cultural melting pot in the world, a city that continues to lead in various creative sectors such as music, fashion, gaming, tech, design, film, dance, AI, and research,” she stated.

For Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, founder, ART X Lagos, the art fair offered many opportunities to the artists to meet galleries, collectors to meet and engage some of the artists whose works are in their collections, and the public to pick interest in the art through purchase and engagement for commissioning works in the future.

Of course, many art works were bought at the fair, which directly empowered the artists or galleries representing the artists.

Good time for businesses

As expected, some businesses really took advantage of the art season to boost earnings.

Michael Emordi, a stage designer, who was involved in designing booths at ART X Lagos this October, is also smiling to the bank.

“It was a sublet contract, but I made a kill too and can use it to pursue bigger jobs tomorrow,” Emordi enthused.

Also, dealers on aluminium rails, cassing and boards for the designs are happy.

The hospitality sector also gained from the surge in hotel bookings. From Eko Hotel and Suites, Federal Palace Hotel, Westwood Hotel Ikoyi, Radisson Blu Anchorage to many others closer to the various venues of these events, the season was good for business.

“We had full occupancy for the first time in the year, and had opportunity to tell the public that we are still in business,” Morgan Itsueghi, a staff of Federal Palace Hotel, enthused.

“We have almost 1000 rooms, but filling them is hassle-free with the huge bookings from visitors always thronging Lagos for one festival or event, especially this last quarter,” Sussuie Olamide, a marketing staff of Eko Hotel, noted.

The surge in bookings was across Lagos as most fully-booked hotels, especially on the island refer guests to their sister properties or partner hotels in the mainland.

As well, logistics companies, lounges, restaurants, nightclubs and eateries had a good time too.

Of course, art galleries witnessed a surge in patronage, especially from foreign attendees looking for original art works and souvenirs to take home.

Theatrical production companies were in high demand within that period with cast members receiving from N50,000 per day, according to Abidemi Oyekanmi, a theatre director.

Small businesses, food vendors, art and craft merchants, tour guides, carehire, barbecue joints and bars, all had a share of the visitors’ spendings.

Read also: Google unveils ‘Eko for show’ to showcase Lagos’ creative industry

Revenue boost, good image for the government

The Lagos State government is also smiling to the bank, considering the revenue from taxes within the season, while the Federal Government gained from visa fees, taxes from airfares, among others.

In 2022, the Lagos art and entertainment season contributed significantly to the state’s GDP with an estimated ₦50 billion.

On the back of Lagos’ revenue projection is the number of visitors put at 2 million, according to data from the state’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

Yet, the state recorded about 30 percent increase in hotel occupancy rate during this season, according to the Nigerian Hospitality report.

However, the events were veritable platforms for changing the negative narratives about the country as many foreign attendees were on ground to see things differently and are going home as ambassadors of the country.

Excited at the hugely successful events, Gbenga Omotoso, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lagos, said that the art and entertainment season has cemented Lagos’ position as a cultural and economic powerhouse, as the state government makes effort to address challenges, harness opportunities to ensure sustained growth as the city continues to attract visitors and investment through the creative sector.

“We have everything that can bring the world to come and learn about African culture,” he said.

Foreigners’ and Diaspora views

Speaking on the impact of the Lagos Fashion Week, Tamu McPherson, a global fashion ambassador, said that Nigeria is on global stage with the event, which most fashion houses in the world look out for every year.

“Throughout my visit to Lagos, I have been consistently inspired by the pieces I have seen people wearing,” McPherson said.

“This is not just about witnessing fashion, it is about participating in a movement.”

Lisa Giles, a French theatre producer, described Nigeria as a country of talents across many genre, which is the reason, she and many other foreigners flew in to appreciate the incredible talents.

For Chidi Kwubiri, a Nigerian artist, who is based in Germany, the creative ingenuity of Nigerians is one reason people fly into the country, just to feel it raw, meet the gifted creators and also learn if possible.

Kwubiri, whose recent exhibition titled ‘Luminous Presence’ was graced by Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe, the Obi Of Onitsha at Alexis Galleries, Victoria Island, Lagos, noted further that the creative industry is the only hope for the country in terms of new economy and platform to change stereotypes about the country.

But the bottomline for Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos State, is the fact that the events are empowering Nigerian youth, boosting Lagos earnings and stimulating the country’s economy.

On the above reasons, Lagos is committed to sustaining the annual art and entertainment season as it supports its vision for a stronger creative industry, enhances Nigeria’s image globally and allows the world to see the vibrant, talented voices that define Eko.