The city of Osogbo was a spectacle of colours, culture, and spirituality today as thousands of Osun devotees, traditional worshippers, and tourists gathered at the sacred Osun-Osogbo Grove for the grand finale of the 2025 Osun-Osogbo Festival. Info Giant 97.1FM was live at the venue where the new Arugba, Alimot Osunbunmi, led the traditional procession to the river, bearing the sacred calabash containing annual offerings to the revered Yoruba deity, Osun. However, a male priest, Baba Osun, relieved the nine-year-old Osunbunmi of the calabash and carried it through the crowd. The event featured chants, drumming, dancing, and rituals that echo centuries of spiritual heritage.
Among the notable guests at the grove were the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyewale Larooye II; the Deputy Governor of Osun State, Prince Kola Adewusi; the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams; and Mrs. Olufunso Amosun, wife of former Ogun State Governor. Their presence added weight to the cultural significance of the UNESCO-recognized festival, which remains one of Nigeria’s most iconic traditional events.
Security presence was visibly heavy, with armed soldiers stationed at the entrance of the sacred Osun Grove and police operatives positioned along the key access roads leading to the river.
The atmosphere turned electric as various groups of hunters and traditionalists made their entrance, heralded by intermittent gunshots into the air, as they marched to the riverside to perform sacred rites.
The Osun-Osogbo Festival continues to draw global attention as a symbol of peace, prayer, and preservation of Yoruba tradition. From worshippers offering thanksgiving to others making fresh petitions by the river, the mood was both festive and deeply spiritual.