OsunOsogbo

Osun-Osogbo is a 300-acre festival‑ground complex in southwestern Nigeria, situated on the edge of the ancient forested hill of Osun in the town of Osogbo, capital of Osun State. The site is owned and managed by the Nigerian government as a public reserve and has been the venue for numerous cultural, religious and artistic events for decades. Osun-Osogbo is perhaps most famous as the location of the annual Osun-Osogbo festival, a UNESCO-registered Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2009, which celebrates the worship of the river goddess Osun.

The festival attracts tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists every year. The participants, known as “fere‑fere,” perform elaborate dances, carry symbolic rituals, and give offerings in the hopes of ensuring good fortune, fertility and protection. The festival’s activities include the procession of the Nla‑Nla and Gbadun‑Gbadun masquerade dancers, the symbolic burial of a wooden child at the shrine, and the racing of goats associated with the Yomi cult.

Osun-Osogbo is also a major cultural hub for contemporary African art, hosting the National Art Gallery of Nigeria while providing space for artists to exhibit work that draws on Yoruba mythology and modern themes. The site contains tree‑lined promenades, pavilions, a honden of the Osun‑Osogbo tree, and is surrounded by ancient stone carvings unique to the Yoruba people. The site’s ecological features—evergreen forests, shrubs, and lake—contribute to a culturally rich environment that also promotes environmental conservation efforts. The combination of cultural, historical, religious and ecological aspects has made Osun‑Osogbo a major symbol of Yoruba heritage and a center for national tourism and training programmes.