The annual Isiokpo Bicycle Festival, organised by the people of Isiokpo from Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State in Nigeria, was held over the weekend to mark the end of the year in style.
The Carnival in Isiokpo is the only bicycle carnival in Nigeria and one of the biggest carnivals in West Africa.
The Bicycle Carnival saw hundreds of participants in traditional attires cruise around town on their bicycles to celebrate, with hundreds of spectators lined up in the streets to watch the bikers during the colourful bicycle parade.
While some had passengers at the back of their bicycles, some participants can been seen riding with radio and television sets that was common in Nigerian homes in the 70s and 80s.
For the people of Isiokpo in Rivers State, the significance of the festival is to celebrate the people’s inherent usage of bicycles since creation. Till date, the Ikwerre people are known for using bicycles to convey their farm loads.
The aim of the carnival is also to showcase Nigeria’s beautiful culture and tradition to world, while keeping the participants physically fit during the exercise.
