NTA Channel 12, Akanchawa Udenwa Avenue · Sunday, 29 November 2026 · 3:00 PM

Food · Music · Games · Thrills & Chills · First Ever Edition

Ofè Owèré

From a Dish to a Destination

The First Ever Edition of Owerri's signature festival -bringing together food, music, culture, entertainment, games, thrills & chills at NTA Channel 12, New Owerri.

Get Tickets on Gruve · ₦2,500 Why this soup 📅 Add to Calendar

Confirmed Artistes & DJs

DJ Sequence · DJ Volt · DJ Kejiz · TYC Drip · Clema

Sunday, 29 November 2026 · 3:00 PM

NTA Channel 12, Akanchawa Udenwa Avenue

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

Ofè Owèré Festival 2026 -First Ever Edition

festival-goers projected: 3,000–5,000festival-goers projected
inaugural edition: 1st Everinaugural edition
confirmed DJs & live artistes: 5+confirmed DJs & live artistes
full destination experience: Food, Music & Gamesfull destination experience

What we are celebrating

The soup you cook when the person coming matters.

Ofe Owerri is the most demanding soup in Igbo cooking. No flour, no shortcuts, no substitutions -cocoyam for thickening, achara for sweetness, uziza held back so it lifts without turning bitter. It is expensive on purpose. In Owerri, what you put in the pot is what you are saying about your guest.

For three days in December we put sixty of those pots on open fire in one place, and let the city do what it does best.

Read the full story

Ugu
Fluted pumpkin leaf
Shredded fine and added last, so it stays green and alive in the pot.
Uziza
Piper guineense leaf
The peppery lift. A little too much and the whole pot turns bitter.
Achara
Young elephant grass shoots
The soft, sweet stalk that tells you the soup came from Owerri and nowhere else.
Ede
Cocoyam thickener
Pounded to a paste and dropped in lumps -never flour, never anything else.
Akwụ
Red palm oil
Bleached just enough. The colour of the bowl is the first thing anyone judges.
Okporoko
Stockfish
Soaked overnight until the head gives up its flavour to the broth.

Three days

How the weekend runs

Friday opens the pot, Saturday decides who cooked it best, Sunday feeds everybody until the last pot is scraped.

Main Festival Day

The Inaugural Celebration

Mmeghe Mbụ

Sunday 29 November 2026

A full afternoon and night of authentic Ofe Owerri, open-air gaming arenas, live headline performances, and premier DJ sets.

15:00Gates Open & Red Carpet · Ahịa Food Stalls & Drinks Village
16:00Games Arena, Thrills & Chills, and Brand Activations
17:30The Official Pot of Ofe Owerri Feast & Food Tasting
19:00Live Artiste Performances: TYC Drip, Clema & Guests
20:30DJ Extravaganza: DJ Sequence · DJ Volt · DJ Kejiz
00:00After-Party & Midnight Close

The grounds

Six places to get lost

The stadium grounds are laid out like a compound -cooking at the centre, market on the outside, music at the far end so the two never fight.

The Great Pot

Ite Ukwu

A sand arena ringed with clay pots on open wood fire. This is where the cook-off happens and where the smoke never clears.

Ahịa Market

The Market

Sixty traders: ugu and uziza by the bunch, ogiri wrapped in leaf, Akwete cloth, isiagu, carved gourds and raffia.

Palm Wine Bar

Ụlọ Mmanya

Fresh and fermented, tapped that morning and served in calabash. Small chops, nkwobi and isi ewu on the side.

Main Stage

Ebe Egwu

Highlife on Friday, Afrobeats on Saturday, gospel on Sunday. Three nights, one stage, no overlap with the cooking.

Kids' Compound

Ogige Ụmụaka

A shaded yard for children: a pounding demo they can actually try, storytelling, face paint and a supervised play area.

Makers' Row

Ndị Ọrụ Aka

Potters throwing ite on the wheel, weavers at the loom, carvers and blacksmiths working in front of you all weekend.

Tickets

Pick your seat at the fire

Early tickets are the cheapest they will be. Prices step up on 1 October and again at the gate.

All ticket options

General Admission

Nkwọ

₦2,500

per person

Individual entry to the event. Enjoy the full event experience and access to the general admission area.

Buy General Admission

Friends Pass

Ndị Enyi

₦12,000

group of 5 guests

Group entry for 5 guests. Perfect for friends looking to enjoy the event together.

Buy Friends Pass

Premium Table

Tebụl Pụrụ Iche

₦100,000

table of 5 guests

Premium table reservation for 5 guests. Enjoy a dedicated table and an elevated event experience.

Buy Premium Table

From the grounds

Smoke, colour, crowd

See the gallery

Trade with us

Cook, pour or sell at Ofe Owere

Sixty stalls, one weekend, forty thousand people who came specifically to eat. Applications for the 2026 market are open now.

Become a vendor Sponsor the festival

Before you come

Questions we get asked

Where exactly is the festival?

NTA Channel 12, Akanchawa Udenwa Avenue, Wetheral Road, Owerri, Imo State. Gates are on the Wetheral Road side; parking is signposted from Douglas Road.

Is food included in my ticket?

General and Weekend tickets cover entry -you buy from the stalls, and most bowls run ₦3,000–₦8,000. VIP and VVIP include a full bowl of Ofe Owerri each day.

Can I bring children?

Yes. Under-12s enter free with a ticketed adult, and the Kids' Compound is open from 10:00 on Saturday and 12:00 on Sunday. Sunday is the calmest day for young children.

Is there vegetarian food?

Traditional Ofe Owerri is built on stockfish and assorted meat, but a handful of stalls cook a vegetarian pot with achara, ede and mushroom. Look for the green leaf mark on the stall sign.

How do I pay on the grounds?

Transfers and cards are accepted at every stall through the festival wristband, and there are cash points at all three gates. Network can be slow at peak -carrying some cash is wise.

Can I cook in the competition?

Entries for the Great Cook-Off open in September. Thirty cooks are selected from open submissions; you cook the classic recipe, and cocoyam is the only thickener allowed.

What is the refund policy?

Tickets are refundable up to 30 days before the festival, and transferable to another name at any time through your booking confirmation.

Still unsure about something? Read all the FAQs or ask us directly.