The Federal Government has announced plans to begin preparations for the 2026 Detty December celebrations as early as March, in a bid to improve organisation, attract more tourists and address challenges experienced during the last festive season.
Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, disclosed this while speaking on MIC ON, a podcast hosted by Seun Okinbaloye. She Revealed an ongoing review of the 2025 Detty December showed that the festivities delivered more economic and tourism benefits than setbacks.
“Presently, we are doing an interrogation of the 2025 Detty December. I would say more positives than the negatives,”Musawa said, noting that tourism inflow and overall economic impact were encouraging.
However, the minister admitted that issues such as limited accommodation, excessive pricing by vendors and traffic congestion threatened the sustainability of the popular end of year celebrations.
“For the negatives, the lack of accommodation and overpricing of the vendors, which I think is the major issue on the table,” she said.
Musawa stressed that government plans to decentralise Detty December by promoting events in other states beyond Lagos, including Calabar, Enugu and Plateau, to spread tourism benefits across the country.
“We are, however, hoping to expand this by creating more activities and content across the country. We are going to start the push for this year’s Detty December in March,” she added.
She also linked future success to improved infrastructure, noting that the completion of a new Lagos airport would enhance visitors’ experience. The minister called for stronger government support for hospitality, infrastructure development and creative industry funding.
Warning against unchecked pricing, Musawa said high costs could make the festivities exclusive and drive tourists away.
“Certainly, I think the government has to come in to bring some sanity in terms of the pricing so that people can come into Nigeria, and we do not lose the effect of Nigeria being the place to come in December,” she said.
Detty December has become a major cultural and tourism attraction, drawing thousands of local and international visitors to Nigeria for concerts, parties and social events during the festive season.