Lagos Set to Host 72-Hour Shopping, Entertainment Festival

The Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, has finalized plans to host the inaugural Lagos Shopping Festival.

The event, set to take place from December 23 to 25, 2024, will be held at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Lagos Island.

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While unveiling the festival symbol at the Lagos House in Ikeja, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, stated that the festival would promote job creation and boost commercial activities within the state.

Governor Sanwo-Olu highlighted that the maiden Lagos Shopping Festival would stimulate commerce by empowering local businesses, drawing international brands, and generating direct and indirect job opportunities through vendor involvement, logistics, and event and entertainment management.

The Governor emphasized that the Lagos Shopping Festival, organized in collaboration with Tolaram Africa Group, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, and Chain Reactions Africa, is expected to draw both local and international tourists to the state.

He said, “We are a city of audacious people who dream big and think big. By this December, the City of Dubai will be holding the 30th edition of its annual Dubai Shopping Festival. But we are just starting now, and we believe it is never too late.

“Through our Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts, in the month of April, we have had proof of concept. We had a trade fair where sales in excess of N5 billion were recorded by just 245 vendors in a period of just three days. So, we have tested the concept, and we know it can only get bigger.

“I am excited that come this December, the City of Lagos will be joining the league of other global cities such as Istanbul and Dubai with their own dedicated shopping festivals. This is part of our broader strategy to continue to market Lagos as a premium destination for business and leisure.

“For us, this festival is not just about enjoyment; it is an economic tool to achieve a number of economic objectives. It will drive commerce by supporting local businesses and attracting global brands. It will also create direct and indirect employment opportunities through vendor participation, logistics, event and entertainment management.

“The festival will attract the Diaspora community to Lagos this December because Lagos is safe. It will also attract local and international tourists to Lagos and position Destination Lagos amongst her peers with their own shopping festivals.”

Trade Promotion

The festival’s Director of Organisation and Logistics, Ms. Damilola Pedro, who described Governor Sanwo-Olu as the Lead Strategist and Biggest Sales Person for Lagos, said the shopping festival will promote trade and commerce during the three days of activities.

She said, “Mr. Governor, this project is your baby. It is one of the legacies you will be giving to Lagos. When we first presented the concept to you four years ago, we wanted to have it for seven days non-stop. But you counselled us to run the maiden edition over a period of three days first. We have been planning and refining the concept. Now is the time for us to join the league of other global cities such as Istanbul and Dubai.

“We will be bringing small-scale businesses through our partnership with several agencies within the government for SMEs and businesses around and outside Lagos to come and sell their products for our people to be able to shop at very high discounted rates so that we can all have fun this December and journey towards the rest of next year.

“For us, the Lagos Shopping Festival also places us alongside other big economies like the Singapore Shopping Festival and Dubai Festival. Lagos is thriving and opening up for more businesses. This is our Lagos, and we will definitely continue to build it as long as we can as citizens of this positive state, this big state that we are all proud of under the leadership of Mr. Governor.”

Proof of Concept

In his remarks, the Special Adviser to Governor on Tourism, Culture and Arts, Mr. Idris Aregbe, narrated how the Ministry had used a fair earlier organised in the month of April in conjunction with another private entity as proof of concept to test the waters ahead of the Lagos Shopping Festival, which is bigger in scope and scale.

He told the gathering comprising representatives of Zenith Bank Plc, Tolaram Group, and Guinness Nigeria Plc how the sales recorded in a period of three days surpassed the N250 million sales threshold the organisers had never crossed.

Oluchi Okwuego