Pentouch 
Eyo Ologede Group participates as the traditional worshipers hold a procession and prayers to mark the 2025 Isese Day, the traditional religion worshipers' day, in Enu-Owa, Lagos, Nigeria, on Wednesday, August 2025. Lagos State Government declares Wednesday a public holiday to allow traditional worshipers to celebrate their day. (Photo by Adekunle Ajayi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Lagos and Ogun State will on Thursday, August 20, 2026, host what is expected to be the largest single gathering of traditional worshippers anywhere in the world, with over three million residents joining the celebrations that mark the 2026 Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day.
To ensure Lagosians and tourists get an unforgettable experience during the celebration, the Lagos State Government has declared the day a work-free day for public servants, political appointees and others.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Hon. Idris Aregbe, in a statement signed personally on Wednesday, described the day as one that is bigger than a holiday on a calendar.
“Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is not a relic. It is a living expression of our traditions and a celebration of Yoruba spirituality as an important part of Nigeria’s cultural and religious landscape,” he said.
He noted that the Yorubas are one of Africa’s largest ethnic nations with more than 55 million people globally, holding tenaciously to the Yoruba culture and inculcating it in their children.
Adhering to the culture and tradition over the years has sustained the Ìṣẹ̀ṣe festivals in Cuba, Brazil, and the Caribbean, where many Yorubas live aside from Africa to this day.
“When the drums sound in Lagos on Thursday, they answer drums in Havana, in Salvador, in Port of Spain. Fifty-five million people and counting. Lagos is not observing a local holiday. Lagos is standing at the centre of a global heritage,” Aregbe said.
Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day marks the culmination of a full week of traditional activities, and has been observed as a work-free day in Lagos since 2023, following a request from the Lagos State Council of Obas and Chiefs.
Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has upheld it every year, in line with the administration’s commitment to indigenous values and religious inclusiveness under the THEMES+ Agenda.
Aregbe expressed profound appreciation to Sanwo-Olu for his courageous support for a noble cause, and reserved special honour for the traditional institution.
“We thank His Excellency, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu. It takes real conviction for a leader to stand publicly with heritage, and he has done so without hesitation and without apology. We also bow to Kábíyèsí, the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu I, foremost custodian of Lagos culture, to all our royal fathers, our revered White Cap Chiefs, our Babaláwo and Ìyánífá, our Olóòrìṣà and every custodian and promoter who kept these rites alive when it was neither fashionable nor convenient.
Governments come and go. Custodians carry the culture,” he said.
This year’s celebrations will feature prayers, rituals, processions, drumming and cultural displays dedicated to the Òrìṣà, coordinated by the Association of African Traditional Religion Nigeria and Overseas (AATREN).
Aregbe urged all participants to celebrate peacefully and respectfully.
“Three million voices rising in honour of tradition is not noise. It is history, faith and cultural pride in harmony. Whether you worship in a mosque, a church or a grove, Ìṣẹ̀ṣe Day belongs to you, because heritage has no denomination. Lagos remains the city where every heritage finds its roots.
The Ogun State Government also declared Thursday, August 20, 2026, as a public holiday to commemorate this year’s Isese Day celebration.
Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Hon. Kayode Akinmade stated that the declaration, according to the government, underscores the administration’s commitment to preserving and promoting Yoruba culture, heritage and traditional values.
It would be recalled that August 20 was formally declared a public holiday in Ogun State in 2023, following a resolution of the Ogun State House of Assembly and the approval of Governor Dapo Abiodun.
According to him, “the government said Isese Day provides an opportunity for adherents of the Yoruba traditional religion to honour their ancestors, observe traditional rites and promote the values and teachings embedded in their spiritual and cultural practices”.
He noted that the celebration also promotes a sense of community among practitioners, while providing an opportunity for the wider society to appreciate and respect the rich cultural heritage of the Yoruba people.
According to the statement, the observance of isese day reflects the administration’s recognition of the important role of culture and traditional institutions in preserving the state’s identity and strengthening social cohesion.
The government therefore urged residents to celebrate the day peacefully and responsibly, while respecting the beliefs, rights and practices of everyone.
Isese laagba! Every civilisation is built on the foundation of isese.