The ancient city of Osogbo has once again come alive as the 600-year-old Osun Osogbo Festival officially began today with the Iwopopo, the traditional town cleansing ritual symbolizing spiritual renewal and preparation for two weeks of sacred and cultural rites.
Held with deep reverence, the Iwopopo marks the first in a series of ceremonial events that culminate in the sacred Arugba procession to the Osun Sacred Grove, a UNESCO-recognized heritage site.
For over six centuries, the Osun Osogbo Festival has not missed a season, and this year’s edition comes with bold ambitions—to transform Africa’s oldest continuous spiritual festival into a global cultural and economic platform.
The two-week festival continues on July 31 with Ina Ọlójúmẹrìndínlógún, the lighting of the 16-faced ancestral lamp which symbolizes divine illumination. On August 4, the Ìbọ‑Adé, also known as the crowning of ancestors or Iboriade, features the ceremonial presentation of the Ataoja’s ancestral crowns to invoke blessings.
The grand finale comes on August 8, with the iconic Arugba procession, during which a virgin girl bears sacred offerings to the Osun Grove amidst drumming, dancing, and spiritual invocation.
At the recently held Osun Osogbo Global Cultural Summit, His Royal Majesty Oba Jimoh Olanipekun Oyetunji Larooye II, the Ataoja of Osogbo, called for greater private and public sponsorship to unlock the festival’s full potential.
“This is just the beginning; we are committed to elevating the Osun Osogbo Festival to truly global heights,” the monarch declared. The Ataoja emphasized that the festival’s power lies in its fusion of tradition, trade, and transformation, making it a unique tool for Africa’s cultural diplomacy and economic rebirth.
Speaking at the summit, Mr. Ola Oluwasanmi, Brand Engineer of Our Heritage Branding & Advertising Ltd., described the Osun Osogbo Festival as “a story older than borders, deeper than rivers, and more sacred than words.” He highlighted the festival’s resilience through colonization, modernization, and globalization—not as resistance, but as resilience.
With the right investments, he said, the festival could become a global model of cultural preservation, a hub for diaspora investment, a driver for turning rituals into revenue and heritage into prosperity.
The summit also laid out a strategic vision to turn Osogbo into a gateway for pan-African unity through shared cultural experiences, academic and diplomatic collaborations, and indigenous innovation and heritage commerce.
In a move to connect younger and global audiences, Nollywood star Laide Bakare was unveiled as the official face of the 2025 Osun Osogbo Festival. “This isn’t just a celebration—it’s a collaboration,” Bakare said in a campaign video.
She called on influencers, fashion designers, tech entrepreneurs, and brands to collaborate in reimagining Osun Osogbo as Africa’s biggest spiritual festival and a cultural movement for the modern era.
In addition to sacred rituals, the 2025 festival introduces new attractions, including the Cultural Glow Pageant, Tech-Fusion Experience, Entrepreneurial Fair, Celebrity Walk of Elegance, Pan-African Roundtable, and Stakeholder Investment Summit.
According to the organisers, these additions are not distractions but strategic expansions—transforming the festival into a platform for commerce, youth engagement, tourism, and diplomacy.
On behalf of the Ataoja and the people of Osogbo, festival organisers have extended an open invitation to “brands, investors, influencers, cultural leaders, and content creators to join us in making Osun Osogbo Festival 2025 the most remarkable edition yet.”
As the Iwopopo sets the sacred stage today, what unfolds over the next two weeks is more than a festival—it is a declaration of identity, a call to purpose, and a vision for Africa’s cultural future.
With its blend of ancestral rites and futuristic ambition, the Osun Osogbo Festival 2025 is not just honoring a covenant with the river goddess Osun—it’s renewing a continent’s covenant with its heritage.