Shimmying and shaking at ‘Africa’s biggest party’

Olympia De Maismont / AFP Nigerian dancers in silver tops and orange pom pom skirts dance down the street at a Calabar festival

Christmas revelers flocked to the southern Nigerian city of Calabar this weekend to celebrate what has been dubbed “the biggest street party in Africa”.

Emmanuel Adegboye/EPA A woman participating in the Calabar Carnival smiles while wearing a headdress with red feathers

The competition had floats and dancers from many ethnic groups in Nigeria participating.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP A woman wearing a silver carnival skirt and waistcoat helps a friend match clothes to put on her gold shoes - Calabar, Nigeria

The month of celebrations in December attracts many party goers to Calabar, the capital of Cross River State and home to many Christian communities. The organizers say more than 2 million people attend, reports AFP.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP A group of men taking part in the Calabar Carnival pose for a photo wearing black trousers, black thongs and sunglasses. Their chests are bare and covered with shining gold. Some are wearing black ties.

About 14 groups are said to have participated in the performances and competitions this year.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP A group of men wearing white clothes and big black hats with brims blow horns as they walk down a street in Calabar, Nigeria.

Many of the carnival-goers danced to Afrobeats, blaring from giant speakers.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP Women in silver dresses and gold straw hats with chains smile as they look at the camera in Calabar, Nigeria

The carnival is taking place twenty years after its inception. “We see different designs, different clothes,” attendee Grace Job told AFP. “Power is more.”

Emmanuel Adegboye / EPA Four women in colorful costumes and purple costumes with manilla as horns at the Calabar Carnival on camera.

Carnival draws a wide variety of people to the streets. The team below is from the University of Calabar – it’s clothing printed with the institution’s logo.

Some of the clothing spoke of the city’s connection to the Atlantic slave trade. The one below shows the manilla – copper bracelets that were introduced as currency by Portuguese traders and were used from the 1600s to the 1900s.

Emmanuel Adegboye / EPA A man wearing a golden robe with a large manilla behind him holding gold wings takes part in a festival in Calabar, Nigeria

This woman’s dress was seen in colonial times and was worn as a large coin of British West Africa from the reign of the UK king George VI. Nigeria gained independence from Britain in 1960.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP A woman dressed as a giant in 1937 British West Africa walks down a street in Calabar, Nigeria

Olympia De Maismont/AFP A woman wearing a large straw hat and shoulder scarf holds a pink electric fan as she takes part in a carnival in Calabar, Nigeria

“Everyone is trying to show tradition and culture,” Rejoice Elemi, a 25-year-old dancer and architecture graduate told AFP.

Emmanuel Adegboye / EPA Parade spectators look at the legs of the dancers wearing gold and pink and orange shoes

At a stadium in Calabar on Friday night Nigerian singers Runtown and Iyanya performed at a carnival concert. Calas Vegas also won the coveted title of best carnival – for the second year running.

Olympia De Maismont/AFP A performer in a golden dress with golden gloves and a large silver head performs jazz dances at the Calabar Carnival

The Cross River State government sees the event – now the biggest in Nigeria – as a way to attract tourists not only from Nigeria as a whole – but also from the diaspora.