Fluttering and shaking at “Africa’s biggest party”

Olympia De Maismont / AFP Nigeria Dancers in silver tops and orange pom-pom skirts skip down a street at Carnival in Calabar

Christmas revelers descended on the port city of Calabar in southern Nigeria this weekend to take part in the festive carnival dubbed “Africa’s biggest street party.”

Emmanuel Adegboye / EPA A woman participating in the Calabar carnival smiles while wearing a huge red feather headdress

The glittering parade featured floats and dancers from many different ethnic groups in Nigeria.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP A woman in a silver carnival skirt and vest helps a fellow participant in matching clothing lace up her gold boots - Calabar, Nigeria

A month of celebrations in December attracts many partygoers to Calabar, the capital of Cross River State and home to many Christian communities. Organizers say up to two million people will take part, reports AFP news agency.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP A group of men participating in the Calabar Carnival pose for a photo wearing black trousers, black suspenders and sunglasses. Her breasts are naked and covered in gold glitter. Some wear black bow ties.

At least 14 bands reportedly took part in performances and competitions this year.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP A group of men wearing white outfits and large-brimmed black hats blow trumpets as they parade through a street in Calabar, Nigeria

Most carnival-goers danced to Afrobeats hits played from huge speakers.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP Women in silver outfits and gold-brimmed straw hats with chains on their smiles pose for the camera in Calabar, Nigeria

The carnival celebrates two decades since its inception. “We see different designs, different costumes,” participant Grace Job told AFP. “The energy is so great.”

Emmanuel Adegboye / EPA Four women wearing sequined outfits and purple feather headdresses attached to manilla-like horns smile for the camera at Carnival in Calabar

The carnival attracts a wide variety of people onto the streets. The troupe pictured below is from the University of Calabar – with costumes printed with the institution’s logo.

Some of the costumes referenced the city’s ties to the Atlantic slave trade. The image below shows manillas – the brass bracelets introduced as currency by Portuguese traders and used from the 16th to 19th centuries.

Emmanuel Adegboye / EPA A man wearing a gold sequin costume with a giant manilla behind him holding up gold wings takes part in a carnival in Calabar, Nigeria

This woman’s outfit is reminiscent of the colonial era and is depicted as a giant British West African penny from the reign of the British monarch George VI. dressed. Nigeria gained independence from Great Britain in 1960.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP A woman dressed as a giant in 1937 British West Africa marches through a street in Calabar, Nigeria

Olympia De Maismont / AFP A woman wearing a large straw hat and an off-shoulder outfit holds a pink electric fan as she takes part in the carnival in Calabar, Nigeria

“Everyone is trying to showcase the tradition and the culture,” 25-year-old dancer and civil engineering student Rejoice Elemi told AFP

Emmanuel Adegboye / EPA Parade spectators look through the legs of performers in gold boots and pink and orange

Nigerian music stars Runtown and Iyanya performed at a carnival concert at a stadium in Calabar on Friday evening. Calas Vegas won the coveted title of best carnival band – for the second time in a row.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP An artist in a gold outfit with gold glove sleeves and large silver headdress makes jazz hands during the Calabar Carnival

Cross River State sees the carnival – now the largest in Nigeria – as a way to attract visitors not only from across Nigeria but also from the diaspora.