List of festivals in Ghana explained

Festivals in Ghana are celebrated for many reasons pertaining to a particular tribe or culture, usually having backgrounds relating to an occurrence in the history of that culture. Examples of such occurrences have been hunger, migration, purification of either gods or stools, etc.

Reasons for celebrating festivals

The importance of each festival's celebration includes:

• Planning developmental project. The festival is used as an occasions to meet and plan developmental projects in the area since most citizens are likely to attend.
• Purification of gods. The period is used to clean ancestral stools and perform important rites.
• Thanksgiving. The festival is used to thank the supreme God and the lesser gods for the guidance and protection
• National and political significance. Prominent people in the government are invited to explain government policies and programmes.
• Dispute resolution. The occasion is used to settle family and individual disputes for peaceful co-existence.
• To promote tourism. Some festivals celebrated in Ghana attract many foreign tourists to the country. An example is the Aboakyir festival. Tourism is the third foreign-exchange earner for Ghana.

List of traditional festivals and their month of celebration

Festival in Ghana	Ethnic group that celebrates
Bakatue[1]	Elmina (Fante)
Homowo[2]	Ga
Aboakyer[3]	Efutu (Winneba)
Kundum[4]	Nzema[5]
Foo (Fao)	Navrongo
Kpini Chugu (Guinea fowl Festival)	Dagombas, Mamprusis, Nanumbas, Kokombas and Basaris[6]
Ohum[7]	Akim,[8] Akuapem[9]
Hogbetsotso[10]	Anlo[11]
Ngmayem	Krobo[12]
Volo (Me/Lomo)	Volos
Yam[13]	Ho[14]
Buɣum Chuɣu (Fire Festival)[15] [16] al)	Dagomba[17] Dagbon, Gonja, Mamprusi and Nanumba
Beng	Gonja[18]
Lukusi	Ve (Near Hohoe)
Danyiba	Kpando[19]
Fetu Afahye[20]	Oguaa[21] (Cape Coast)
Adae Kese	Ashanti[22] Etc.
Adae[23]	Asante,Akim, Akwamu[24]
Asafotufiam[25]	Ada[26]
Dzawuwu Festival[27]	Agave[28]
Fiok[29]	Builsa
Apafram[30]	Akwamu[31]
Osudoku Festival[32]	Asutsuare[33]
Afenorto Festival	Mepe[34]
Papa Festival[35]	Kumawu[36]
Opemso Festival	Kokofu-Anyinam
Ɔvazu Festival	Akposo
Damba festival	Dagomba people, Gonja, Mamprusi
	Techiman, Wenchi[37]

Below is a list of all traditional, religious commemorative festivals celebrated throughout the year in Ghana.^[38] These may not entirely consist of festivals of Ghanaian descent.

Commemorating farming season

• Kakube festival^[39]
• Kobine Festival

Commemorating migration

• Akwantukese Festival
• Hogbetsotso festival
• Keta-Some Tutuza

Religious

• Akwasidae Festival
• Aboakyer festival
• Easter
• Christmas
• Eid al-Fitr
• Eid al-Adha

Others

• Agadevi (Have, Afadzato South District, Volta Region)
• Agbamevo Festival
• Ahobaa
• Akwambo festival
• Akwantutenten (Worawora, Volta Region)
• Amu Festival
• Apoor
• Asafotu-fiam (Ada in the Eastern region)
• Asafotufiam Festival
• Asafua Festival
• Asogli Yam Festival
• Atu-Ho-Akye (Ejisu, Ashanti Region)
• Ayimagonu Festival
• Ayimagonu Festival
• Bakatue festival
• Beng Festival
• Chale Wote Street Art Festival
• Damba festival
• Danso Abaim & Ntoa Fukokuese Festivals (Techimentia & Nkoranza, in the Brong Ahafo Region)
• Dipo Festival (Manya Krobo, Yilo Krobo, Eastern Region)
• Dzawuwu Festival
• Dzohayem (Osudoku, Greater Accra)
• Edina Buronya Festival
• Eiok (War Festival)
• Fetu Afahye
• Fiok (Sandema by the Builsas)
• Gbidukor Festival
• Gbidukor Festival
• Glimetoto Festival
• Golob (Tengzung, Upper East Region)
• Gologo festival
• Gwolgu
• Jintigi (All Gonja Towns, Northern Region)
• Kente Festival (Bonwire, Ashanti Region)
• Kloyosikplem festival (Ghana Eastern region)^[40]
• Kobine
• Kpalikpakpa zã (Kpalime Traditional Area in the Volta Region)
• Kpini-Kyiu Festival (Wa & Tongu, in the Upper East Region)
• Kpledjoo
• Kundum Festival
• Kwafie
• Meet Me There Weekender
• Mmoanniko Festival
• Nkyidwo (Essumeja)
• Ntoa Fokuose
• Nyidwoo
• Odambea Festival
• Odwira festival
• Paragbeile Festival
• Rice festival (Akpafu, in the Volta Region)
• Sasadu Festival
• Sometutuza (Keta)
• Tenghana Festival (Wa & Tongu, in the Upper East Region)]]
• Tongu Upper East Region
• Wilaa Festival (Takpo, Upper West Region)
• Yaa Asantewaa Festival

Oti Region)]]

• Ɔvazu Festival (Akposokubi) Oti Region, formally Volta/Trans-Volta Togoland

Notes and References

1. Web site: Bakatue Festival, 2019 - GWS Online GH. www.ghanawebsolutions.com. 2019-01-26.
2. Web site: Homowo Festival. www.ghanaweb.com. 2019-01-26.
3. Web site: Aboakyer Festival. www.ghanaweb.com. 2019-01-26.
4. Web site: Kundum Festival. www.travel-to-discover-ghana.com. 2019-01-26.
5. Web site: National Commission On Culture. www.ghanaculture.gov.gh. 2019-01-27.
6. Web site: The Northern Region of Ghana - ghanagrio.com - ghanagrio.com. www.ghanagrio.com. en. 2019-10-02.
7. Web site: OHUM STARTS. 2012-08-28. Modern Ghana. 2019-01-27.
8. Web site: Akyem People of Ghana.. 2017-11-22. Africani Sankofa. 2019-01-27.
9. Web site: Choirmaster for Awukugua Ohum. 2021-06-23. Graphic Online. en-gb.
10. Web site: Hogbetsotso Festival. www.travel-to-discover-ghana.com. 2019-01-26.
11. Web site: The Anlo-Ewe people of Ghana. 2017-07-10. This Is Africa Lifestyle. 2019-01-27.
12. Web site: The Krobo People of Ghana to 1892: A Political and Social History. Ohio University Press • Swallow Press. 2019-01-27.
13. Web site: Asogli promises another exciting yam festival this year. 2017-09-06. www.myjoyonline.com. 2019-01-26.
14. Web site: Ghana Districts: A repository of all Local Assemblies in Ghana. www.ghanadistricts.com. 2019-01-27.
15. Web site: Ghana Festivals. ghanakey.com. 2020-01-21.
16. Web site: Buɣum Chuɣu Fire Festival in Northern Ghana. Cof. Katja. 2016-03-05. Safari Junkie. 2019-01-26.
17. Web site: Dagomba kingdom historical kingdom, Africa. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2019-01-27.
18. Web site: A Brief History of Northern Ghana - Focus on Gonja. www.ghanaweb.com. 30 November 2001 . 2019-01-27.
19. Web site: Kpando Municipal Assembly – Official Website of Kpando Municipal Assembly. 2019-01-27.
20. Web site: Oguaa Fetu Afahye Festival, Cape Coast. 2017-03-10. Afro Tourism. 2019-01-26.
21. Web site: Oguaa Fetu Afahye Festival, Cape Coast. 2017-03-10. Afro Tourism. 2019-01-27.
22. Web site: Asante people. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2019-01-27.
23. Web site: Adae Akan festival. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2019-01-27.
24. Web site: Ghana Ethnic Groups, Akwamu. www.ghanaweb.com. 2019-01-27.
25. Web site: About. 2010-12-13. Ada Asafotufiami Festival. 2019-01-26.
26. Web site: ADA PEOPLE: THE TRADITIONALIST DANGME PEOPLE AND THEIR UNIQUE ASAFOTUFIAMI FESTIVAL. ADA PEOPLE. 2019-01-27.
27. Web site: Festivals in Ghana. Editor. 2016-02-24. touringghana.com. 2019-01-26.
28. Web site: Agave Afedome - GhanaPlaceNames. sites.google.com. 2019-01-27.
29. Web site: FESTIVALS OF GHANA. www2.gsu.edu. 2019-01-26.
30. Web site: Festivals. Dzaho. Jerome. Ghana Tourism Authority. 2019-01-26.
31. Web site: Akwamu historical state, Africa. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2019-01-27.
32. Web site: Osudoku Aadegbor Festival Launched. 2018-08-07. Modern Ghana. 2019-01-26.
33. Web site: Figure 1: Shai Osudoku District Map (where Asutuare Area Council lies)..... ResearchGate. 2019-01-27.
34. Web site: Mepe Community Site. mepe.objectis.net. 2019-01-27.
35. Web site: Papa Festival. TheFreeDictionary.com. 2019-01-26.
36. Web site: National Commission On Culture. www.ghanaculture.gov.gh. 2019-01-27.
37. Web site: Visit Ghana - Apoo Festival . 2024-11-29 . Visit Ghana . en-US.
38. Web site: Festivals. GhanaWeb. 23 October 2014.
39. Web site: Festivals in Ghana. Dear Ghana. 23 October 2014.
40. Web site: Festivals in Ghana. www.ghanaweb.com. 27 December 2011.