Festivals in Ghana are colourful and vibrant. Various parts of the country celebrate their heritage with festivals and durbars each year. The country celebrates many festivals throughout the year for the purpose of reuniting people, fostering development, and strengthening beliefs.
Festivals are often associated with forming close bonds with ancestors and requesting their protection. New Year celebrations are accompanied by festivals that purify the whole state. Would you like to experience these incredible celebrations for yourself? Explore and plan your festival adventures across Ghana’s 16 regions with the Akwaaba app. Each festival tells a different story of Ghana’s rich heritage, from Homowo of the Ga to Hogbetsotso of the Anlo.
What is a Festival?
Festivals are special events celebrated by communities for cultural, religious, or historical reasons. Throughout Ghana, festivals are marked with drumming, dancing, storytelling, and rituals that have been passed down for generations. Traditions are preserved and community ties are strengthened through these gatherings. Celebrations serve as reminders of historical events, honour ancestors, and bring people together.
Why are festivals important in Ghana?
- The traditional festivals serve as living textbooks, transmitting traditions from generation to generation. It enhances the people’s knowledge about their history.
- In honour of the ancestral spirit, people ask for forgiveness of past offences, prosperity, peace, and long life from supernatural forces. Continuity exists between the living and the dead.
- Festivals serve as platforms for family reunions, and for relatives, and loved ones to get together. This is the time when disagreements and misunderstandings are resolved.
- Festivals are usually a manifestation of the rich cultural heritage of the people.
- Ghanaian hospitality is also evident here. They show their friendliness in how they speak and relate to each other.
- These celebrations affect a number of local economies, including tourism, craft sales, and hospitality. Track vendor locations and special deals through the Akwaaba app.
List of Festivals in Ghana by Region
Bugum Chugu Festival
The Bugum Chugu Festival was originally associated with Islam but has since become a significant cultural event on the traditional calendar. The festival, which is also known as the Fire Festival, commemorates Prophet Naiyul-Lah Mohammed’s exile from Mecca to Medina in 658 AD. The festival marks the beginning of the lunar year with drumming, dancing, and a spectacular fire procession performed by the Dagomba people of the Northern Region.
Edina Bronya Festival
Observed annually in Elmina, in the Central Region, the Edina Bronya Festival marks the end of the fishing season. The festival features feasting, traditional dances, and a grand durbar, bringing the community together in joy.
Papa Festival
In the Western Region, the Papa Festival is a Thanksgiving celebration dedicated to the gods for a bountiful harvest. There is traditional drumming, dancing, and the sharing of special dishes during the festival.
Dzawuwu Festival
This annual Thanksgiving celebration is celebrated by the Agave people of Dabala in the Volta Region and expresses gratitude for blessings.
Gologo Festival
Gologo Festival is observed by the Talensis of Tong-Zug just before planting season each March. This three-day event seeks good harvests and abundant rainfall by offering sacrifices to the gods.
Ngmayem Festival
It is a celebration of harvest and thanksgiving, which expresses gratitude for the abundant agricultural yields in the Krobo people of the Eastern Region, particularly in Krobo Odumase and Somanya.
Asikloe Festival
It features traditional customs and communal festivities, which are celebrated by the people of Anfoega in the Volta Region.
Volo Festival
This festival celebrates the end of the Volo exodus from Togo in Akuse, in the Volta Region, preserving their historical journey through cultural expression.
Dipo Festival
The Dipo Festival is a significant rite of passage observed by the Krobo people (Somanya & Odumase) of the Eastern Region. This festival marks the transition from childhood to womanhood for young girls through ceremonial parades and traditional clothing.
Aboakyir Festival
Aboakyir Festival, also known as the Deer Hunt Festival, is celebrated by the Winneba people of the Central Region. In this ceremony, two Asafo groups compete to capture a deer, which is presented to the elders and chiefs as a sacrifice.
Beng Festival
In the Northern Region, the Beng Festival celebrates its revered spiritual figure, Sonyo Kipo, with ceremonies and communal gatherings.
Osudoku Festival
This festival marks the beginning of a new year in Asutsuare, in the Eastern Region, and includes prayers for prosperity.
Yam Festival
Asogli people of the Volta Region celebrate the Yam Festival as a tribute to the gods after a good harvest of yams. The celebration includes drumming, dancing, and yam feasts.
Bakatue Festival
Bakatue marks the start of the fishing season in the Central Region, making it one of Elmina’s most important festivals. A ceremonial canoe ride, traditional drumming, and a colourful regatta are held on the Benya Lagoon on the first Tuesday of July.
Homowo Festival
The Homowo Festival, which means “hooting at hunger,” represents the Ga people’s resilience in the Greater Accra Region. There are traditional songs, dances, and dishes such as kpokpoi (cornmeal dish) and cornmeal soup served during the event.
Asafotufiami Festival
The Asafotufiami Festival is held by the Ada people of the Greater Accra Region in memory of their historical wars. An elaborate durbar of chiefs, mock battles, and traditional dances are part of the event.
Kundum Festival
In the Western Region, the Kundum Festival is a harvest celebration that expresses gratitude to the gods for a fruitful season. There is drumming, dancing, and communal feasting associated with it.
Fetu Afahye Festival
Fetu Afahye is a festival celebrating a bountiful harvest observed by the people of Cape Coast in the Central Region. During the festival, chiefs participate in a grand durbar and dance and drum groups perform traditional songs.
Nkronu Festival
This festival is observed by the Shama/Beposo people of the Western Region and involves cleansing of stool, prayers for agricultural prosperity, and offerings to ancestors.
Sometutuza Festival
This colourful festival marks the migration from Keta to Agbozume of the “Some” people of Agbozume in the Eastern Region. There will be a display of exquisite Ewe Kente cloths and woven textiles at the event, as well as traditional performances.
Akwambo Festival
Akwambo Festival, held in Agona, in the Central Region, marks the beginning of the new year. Renewal of communities is facilitated through traditional dances, drumming, and path-clearing activities.
Agumatsa Waterfalls Festival
The Wli Waterfalls Festival is held every November by the people of the Volta Region in honour of the life-giving waterfalls. Dance and communal Thanksgiving are part of the vibrant durbar at the event.
Hogbetsotso Festival
Hogbetsotso Festival is celebrated by the Anlo-Ewe people in the Volta Region in honour of their migration from Notsie (now Togo). Drumming, dancing, and reenactments accompany the festival.
Fiok Festival
Fiok Festival is held by the Builsas of Sandema every December, reenacting heroic battles from the past. There is drumming and dancing as part of the rituals, invoking protection and abundant harvests from the gods.
Adae and Akwasidae Festivals
The Ashanti palace hosts these festivals every six weeks, which bring to life the grandeur of the Ashanti kingdom. Akwasidae (Sunday Adae) is the occasion when the King receives homage from his sub-chiefs, drummers, dancers, and praise singers in a grand spectacle.
Final Thoughts:
Festivals in Ghana offer more than entertainment: they are gateways to understanding the soul of a nation. It is easy to explore Ghana’s festivals with the Akwaaba App. It keeps track of festival dates, locations, and travel arrangements so you don’t miss out on any of these rich cultural experiences. Plan your cultural journey through the land of gold, rhythm, and tradition with the Akwaaba app.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
What is the main festival in Ghana?
Homowo, which literally means ‘mocking hunger’, is the most important festival in the Greater Accra Region, which is celebrated both in Accra and in Ga towns such as Prampram. Normally, it occurs in August and September, when fish and grains are harvested at their peak.
How many celebrations take place in Ghana each year?
There are over 70 major festivals celebrated in Ghana each year, which mark different seasons like cleansing, migration, and harvesting.
What is the purpose of Ghana’s Damba festival?
It was originally celebrated to commemorate Muhammad’s birth and naming, but the purpose has largely changed to honour heritage and chieftaincy. Also, the Gonjas of the Savanna region have adopted Damba. Gonjas celebrate the festival during specific months.
What festival do the Akans celebrate?
The Akan people of West Africa celebrate Adae, an ancient festival involving ancestral spirits’ invocation, propitiation, and veneration.
What activities are held during festivals in Ghana?
Traditional activities such as the recitation of Islamic prayers, traditional dances, and processions are all part of the festival. All Ghana festivals feature dancing, drumming, and singing.
Why is the Hogbetsotso festival celebrated?
The Hogbetsotso festival is an indigenous festival in Ghana. This day is celebrated by the Anlo people to commemorate their escape from Notsie in Togo to the Volta Region of Ghana between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
What is the festival of agriculture in Ghana?
The Frafra, Talensi, and Nabdan-speaking communities of the Upper East Region of Ghana celebrate the Ndaakoya Festival. Every year, it is celebrated in the early months of the new year to thank God for a successful harvest.
