The Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, CFR, Ojaja II, has officially announced the hosting of the 2026 Aje Festival, unveiling an extensive six-week programme celebrating the ancient Yoruba goddess of wealth, prosperity, and trade.
The festival, themed “Trading for Prosperity: Aje, The Cultural Commerce,” will run from January 6 to February 16, 2026, culminating in a grand royal procession and traditional ceremonies at the sacred Aje shrine in Ile-Ife.
According to a statement released Monday by Otunba Moses Olafare, Director of Media and Public Affairs at the Ooni’s Palace, preparations for the cultural celebration have been completed by the Aje Festival Planning Committee, led by Princess Dr. Toyin Kolade, the Iyalale Oodua and Global Coordinator of Aje Festival International, in partnership with the House of Oduduwa.
The Ooni, who serves as Permanent Chairman of the Southern Nigeria Traditional Rulers Council and recognized natural head of the Oduduwa race worldwide, described the festival as a strategic platform for cultural revival, economic empowerment, and heritage diplomacy.
Pre-festival activities will begin January 6 with sponsor affirmations, followed by press engagements on January 28 and a corporate luncheon with sponsors unveiling on February 5, 2026.
The main festival events will unfold over four days from February 13 to 16. Highlights include the Aje Oja Ife Exposition on February 13, women empowerment initiatives and an Aje Summit on Commerce and Trade on February 14, and widows and orphans care programmes alongside a cultural night on February 15.
The celebration will reach its climax on February 16 with a heritage procession led by the Ooni and his council of chiefs to the sacred Aje shrine at Ejigbomẹkun Market, where special prayers and traditional rites will be performed for prosperity, economic stability, and national development.
The Aje Festival honors Aje, revered as the goddess of wealth, prosperity, and profitable trade, believed to be among the 401 primordial spiritual beings of Ootu Ife, considered the cradle of mankind in Yoruba cosmology. For centuries, the festival has symbolized abundance, economic fortune, and spiritual renewal among Yoruba people.
Organizers expect the event to attract traditional rulers, Aje devotees, cultural groups, investors, and visitors from across Nigeria and the diaspora, further cementing Ile-Ife’s position as the spiritual headquarters of the Yoruba race and an emerging global destination for cultural tourism and commerce.
The House of Oduduwa emphasized that the festival represents both a celebration of ancient traditions and a contemporary platform for economic engagement, blending cultural heritage with modern commerce and investment opportunities.
