Connect with us

Culture

Takoradi Masquerade Festival Lights Up Ghana’s Western Region During Christmas

Published

on

The streets of Takoradi came alive with colour, music and cultural pride as the Ankos Festival, popularly known as the Takoradi Masquerade Festival, took centre stage from December 25 to 27, drawing tens of thousands of revelers to Ghana’s Western Region.

The annual festival, which takes place across several towns but reaches its peak in Takoradi, is one of Ghana’s most vibrant Christmas celebrations.

This year’s edition drew renewed attention after Ghanaian traveller and content creator Mariame (@ryamchouu_travels) shared her first-hand experience on Instagram, describing the festival as “incredible” and a must-see cultural event.

“This is what Christmas looks like here in Takoradi,” Mariame said in a video documenting day one of the celebrations. “The whole town was alive — bright colours everywhere, music floating through the streets, and thousands of people dressed in their masquerade outfits.”

According to her account, more than 20,000 people flooded the streets, parading in coordinated masquerade groups, each distinguished by unique uniforms and intricate design details. From children to the elderly, participants and spectators alike took part in the festivities, dancing through the city in an atmosphere she described as “pure joy.”

Mariame joined the Supreme masquerade group, which she noted appeared to have one of the largest followings during the parade. While the masked performers endured the heat to maintain tradition, she opted to experience the procession without a costume, citing the intense temperatures.

Beyond the spectacle, the festival also stood out for its emphasis on safety and organisation. “Security was solid,” she said, noting a visible police presence throughout the event, which allowed participants to move freely and confidently through the city.

A key highlight of the festival is the competitive aspect, where masquerade groups face off to determine who presents the best costume and performance, adding excitement and anticipation to the multi-day celebration.

Mariame used the opportunity to encourage both locals and visitors—especially those in the diaspora—to explore beyond Accra.

“Ghana is so much bigger than just the capital,” she wrote. “This festival is vibrant, intense, colourful, joyful, and above all, safe.”

The Takoradi Masquerade Festival traces its roots to coastal traditions influenced by Afro-Brazilian and Caribbean cultural exchanges and has grown into a signature event that blends history, music, fashion and community spirit.

As Ghana continues to position itself as a cultural tourism hub for both Africans in the diaspora and international travelers, festivals like Ankos are gaining global attention for showcasing the country’s diversity beyond its major cities.

Festivals & Events

Compozers Fest Ghana Edition: Welcoming 2027 with Music in Accra

Published

on

By

Pitch Accra sets the scene for a New Year’s Eve gathering that brings music lovers together as Ghana welcomes the first moments of 2027.

As the final hours of 2026 slip away, Accra will offer music lovers another reason to gather, celebrate and welcome a new year together. Compozers Fest Ghana Edition is scheduled for December 31, 2026, bringing the festive energy of New Year’s Eve to Pitch Accra.

Organised by December in Ghana, an events organiser with a growing following, the celebration offers an opportunity to experience Accra’s nightlife during one of the busiest periods on Ghana’s social calendar.

Music, Community and Celebration

Music has long been central to Ghanaian social life, accompanying celebrations, festivals and gatherings across generations. From highlife and hiplife to Afrobeats and contemporary African sounds, the country’s musical landscape reflects a continuing conversation between tradition and modern influences.

A festival held on New Year’s Eve provides a natural meeting point for these musical cultures and the people who enjoy them.

For Ghanaians returning home for the festive season, it offers another opportunity to reconnect with the city’s entertainment scene. International visitors can experience Accra’s year-end atmosphere alongside residents and members of the diaspora.

Although detailed information about the festival’s performers and programme has not been announced in the supplied listing, the event is scheduled to begin at 10 pm and continue into January 1, 2027.

Making New Year’s Eve Memorable

The venue, Pitch Accra, will host the gathering on Accra Road, Accra. Tickets also come with a Visa card promotion: eligible purchases receive 15 per cent back, with the refund processed within three to five working days after the event. The organiser states that tickets are non-refundable.

For visitors planning a festive-season trip, Compozers Fest Ghana Edition offers another event to consider when exploring Accra after dark.

As 2026 draws to a close, the celebration promises a chance to gather with friends, enjoy the city’s nightlife and begin 2027 in the company of fellow music lovers.

Continue Reading

Arts and GH Heritage

When Second-Hand Clothes Become a Playground for Community

Using Broni Wawu garments purchased at a local market, Bamfo creates enclosed and open environments designed for participation rather than distant observation.

Published

on

By

In Atakpamé, Ghanaian artist Dr. Frederick Bamfo transforms discarded garments into interactive spaces where children, cultural memory and collective play meet.

A discarded shirt can carry more than the memory of a former owner. In the hands of Ghanaian artist and academic Dr. Frederick Bamfo, it can become part of a place where children gather, games begin and strangers find reasons to connect.

His installation, The Games Feast, developed during the Karp Artists’ and Researchers’ Residency in Atakpamé, Togo, gives second-hand clothing a new social life.

Using Broni Wawu garments purchased at a local market, Bamfo creates enclosed and open environments designed for participation rather than distant observation.

The choice of material speaks to a familiar West African reality. Second-hand clothing circulates through markets, connecting consumers to international trade networks while raising questions about consumption, waste and the afterlife of textiles.

Often valued primarily for their usefulness or affordability, these garments become something different in Bamfo’s work: vessels of memory and possibilities for human connection.

The installation’s defining feature, however, is not simply its reuse of clothing. It is what happens inside these improvised spaces.

Children help shape the project’s collaborative spirit, while games such as ludo and oware, alongside dancing and skipping, turn the artwork into a setting for shared experience.

These activities draw on familiar forms of play that have long helped communities build relationships and pass cultural knowledge between generations.

Here, they also challenge conventional ideas of an art installation as something to admire without touching or entering.

For Bamfo, the transformation is both material and social. Clothing once associated with individual bodies becomes a collective environment, while everyday games become tools for participation.

In Atakpamé, The Games Feast suggests that the most meaningful second life of a discarded garment may not be another wardrobe, but a space where people come together.

Continue Reading

Reels & Social Media Highlights

Ghana’s Digital Heartbeat: Outrage, Satire, and the Fight for Accountability

Published

on

By

Ghana’s social media space on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, felt less like a scrolling feed and more like a pressure cooker.

Between the crimson solidarity of #RedWednesday, the dust of a collapsing high-rise, and the astonishing unravelling of a political spokesperson, Ghanaians were simultaneously furious, entertained, and deeply skeptical.

The day’s emotional center was the Obuasi SHTS sexual abuse scandal. Activists declared “Red Wednesday,” urging citizens to wear red in solidarity with the alleged victims.

The mood turned from grief to rage when a leaked clip showed NDC communicator Daniel Nortey dismissing the allegations with the callous remark, “He’s a rapist, so what?”

The backlash was immediate and fierce, with figures like Nana Aba Anamoah condemning the comment, forcing Nortey into a swift, televised apology . Meanwhile, a very different kind of accountability played out in satire.

A viral video, amplified by Ashanti Regional Minister Frank Amoakohene, juxtaposed Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s past claims of completing the Pwalugu Dam against his recent promise to build it, using the “A few moments later” meme to devastating effect .

Amidst the politics, raw reality intruded. A video of concrete blocks raining down from the Villagio construction site in Accra sparked safety fears, but it was the cameraman’s subsequent claim that the company threatened him with “police and lawyers” that truly ignited the timeline.

Even the beach wasn’t safe from scrutiny: creator Ivy Prosper’s on-the-ground photos of a still-littered Labadi Beach exposed the polished, viral images of a “Miami-style” shoreline as misleading, triggering a wave of cynical “smoke and mirrors” commentary.

What united these disparate moments was a collective demand for transparency. Whether mocking a politician’s memory, calling out a spokesperson’s inhumanity, or fact-checking a pretty picture, Ghanaian netizens were not merely consuming content—they were actively auditing the world around them, one screenshot at a time.

Continue Reading

Trending