— Hub · Festivals
Festivals
The festivals are the visible surface of the coast’s living religion. We accompany the most documented and most rigorous.
The festivals are the most public expression of the spiritual and political life of the coast. Vodun Days in Ouidah, Panafest in Cape Coast, Hogbetsotso in Volta, Ogua Festival in Cape Coast — these are not events to be attended as tourist spectacle; they are religious-civic celebrations with practitioners and communities at their centre. We accompany the ones we have walked enough times to write about with care.
— Nine pages
The festivals we accompany
January · Benin
Vodun Days
The national Vodun festival at Ouidah. From 2027 it runs a full week, 2–9 January — the largest edition since 1996.
August · Benin
Porto-Novo Mask Festival
Egungun, Zangbeto and Gelede in the streets of Porto-Novo, with an international colloquium alongside. Next edition 7–8 August 2027.
September · Ghana
Fetu Afahye
Cape Coast’s royal-civic festival, first Saturday of September. Purification of the seventy-seven deities, then the durbar of chiefs.
July–August · Ghana
PANAFEST
Pan-African Historical Theatre Festival at Cape Coast, in odd-numbered years. The memorial pilgrimage of the Black Atlantic.
November · Ghana
Hogbetsotso
The Anlo-Ewe festival of the exodus, in the Volta region. An annual reaffirmation of community memory.
July · Togo
Evala
The Kabyè initiation wrestling of the Kara highlands, presided by the Togolese Head of State.
September · Togo
Agbogbo-Za
The Ewe festival of the departure from Notsé. The 2026 public festivities were cancelled in mourning; the ritual phase was held on 3 September.
September · Togo
Voodoo festivals in Togo
Togo has no Vodun Days. What it has: Epé-Ekpé at Glidji, now UNESCO-listed, Adossa-Gadao at Sokodé, and Vodun all year round.
All year
The festival calendar
Every festival of the Slave Coast on one page, month by month — what is confirmed, and what is not.
— Plug a festival into your journey
Our custom 10-day programme can be built around a festival.
For groups that want to encounter the coast through one of its festivals, we tailor the 10-day custom programme around the festival dates.