Carniriv

The Carniriv (English: Car-nee-rev) is an annual festival held in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The Carnival starts a few weeks before Christmas, and lasts seven days. During this time, several ceremonial events are held; most of which have some cultural and/or sacred significance.^[1]

The Port Harcourt Carnival bears a certain uniqueness as it combines two carnivals: a purely cultural carnival and a contemporary Caribbean-style carnival in one. It also features musical performances from both local and international artists.^[2] This gives it an edge over all other regional and continental carnivals, and presents a principal advantage that must be fully exploited.^[3]

The Government of Rivers State recognizes Carniriv as its biggest tourism export. With economic interests increasingly identifying tourism as a viable alternative to the fossil fuel economy - especially in these parts - the state government has demonstrated its commitment to developing this carnival into a regionally unrivaled and globally reckoned tourist attraction.^[4] Thus, it has always made available the necessary financial backing for the event each year, and has also worked hard through the Rivers State Tourism Development Agency and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to ensure that it is held.

Carniriv ’88 is the direct predecessor of Carniriv: The Port Harcourt Carnival. From 1988 through to 2008 the idea of staging a carnival with statewide participation evolved in several forms - most notably in the form of Rivifest - until the emergence of the current carnival. Carniriv: The Port Harcourt Carnival was construed and staged in 2008, and with it came the strong desire to build a robust and ultimately attractive carnival brand.^[5]

Rivers State is known as the land of a thousand masquerades. With a fine variety of spoken languages, numbering over 300, it is easy to discern the beauty in the diversity of its peoples. The ancient and enduring civilizations, quite simply draw attention to the richness and immense significance of the collective heritage of the Rivers people. Simply put, we are a microcosm of the macrocosm, a Nigeria (with all of its cultural and ethnic diversity) within Nigeria. This, in essence, is at the core of the philosophy and guiding principle of Carniriv: The Port Harcourt Carnival.

The carnival here enters its final day, and the hype and excitement are building to a crescendo. Glamour, style, and pageantry all fuse into one fine artistic blend in a contemporary cultural procession through the streets of Port Harcourt. Traditionally, six bands participate in this procession, with 5 bands (namely: Jubilee, Liberation, Dynamic, Fusion, and Treasure) all wrapped-up in fervent competition. ^[6]

In true carnival style, contingents from the 23 LGAs engage a procession along a predefined route through the streets of Port Harcourt- showcasing enthralling dances and masquerade displays as they do so. All of these performances are embedded in colouful floats adorned with impressive icons. This year, the Heritage Parade goes international with the inclusion of troupes from Malaysia and South Africa as honorary participants.

This carnival strongly reflects the importance attached to children in Carniriv, and by extension tourism development, in Rivers State.

The Children’s Carnival is designed as a mini-procession, commencing at the Elekahia playground and culminating in Liberation Stadium (Elekahia) - where children will be treated to a carnival full of fun, refreshments, leisure, and unrestrained entertainment befitting an icebreaker event in anticipation of the grand opening of Carniriv 2012.