Nigeria: Lagos declares Thursday work-free for 2026 Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day
By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria
The Lagos State Government has declared Thursday, August 20, 2026, a work-free day to mark the annual Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day celebration.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Idris Aregbe. He said the day off is to allow residents and visitors to fully participate in activities honoring Yoruba spirituality and cultural heritage.
According to the government, more than three million traditional worshippers are expected to take part in this year’s events across Lagos.
He noted that the Yoruba people, estimated at more than 55 million worldwide, have kept their traditions alive and passed them down to younger generations. That preservation, he added, is also why Ìṣẹ̀ṣe festivals are still observed in countries with large Yoruba-descended populations, including Cuba, Brazil, and parts of the Caribbean.
“When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” Aregbe said.
Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day has been observed as a work-free day in Lagos since 2023, following a request by the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has maintained the practice each year as part of his administration’s commitment to indigenous values and religious inclusiveness under the THEMES+ Agenda.
Aregbe thanked the governor for his consistent support, saying it takes “real conviction for a leader to stand publicly with heritage.
“We thank His Excellency, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu. It takes real conviction for a leader to stand publicly with heritage, and he has done so without hesitation and without apology,” he said.
He specifically acknowledged the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu I, traditional chiefs, Babaláwo, Ìyánífá, Olóòrìṣà, and other custodians of Yoruba traditions.
The 2026 celebration will mark the end of a week-long programme of traditional activities. Events planned include prayers, rituals, processions, drumming, and cultural displays dedicated to the Òrìṣà.
Coordination of the activities will be handled by the Association of African Traditional Religion Nigeria and Overseas.
Aregbe urged participants to observe the day peacefully and respectfully, emphasizing that the celebration is about cultural pride and unity.
“Three million voices rising in honour of tradition is not noise. It is history, faith and cultural pride in harmony,” he said.
“Whether you worship in a mosque, a church or a grove, Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day belongs to you, because heritage has no denomination. Lagos remains the city where every heritage finds its place,” he said.
The declaration underscores Lagos’ role as a hub for Yoruba culture both in Nigeria and in the diaspora. By setting aside a work-free day, the state government aims to ensure that the rituals, music, and communal gatherings that define Ìṣẹ̀ṣe can take place without disruption.
For many Lagosians, the day has become an opportunity to reconnect with ancestry, traditional dress, language, and spirituality. For visitors, it offers a chance to witness one of West Africa’s oldest living religious traditions on a large public scale.
With an expected turnout of over three million people, authorities are expected to announce traffic and security arrangements ahead of Thursday.
