Durbar, Golf, Wrestling and Art: Benin Kingdom Set to Mark a Decade of Oba Ewuare II's Reign

By Kemi Adeshina 

(His Royal Majesty Omo N'Oba N'Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, in traditional Benin royal regalia. Photo: Courtesy of the Benin Royal Palace.)

The Benin Kingdom will spend most of October in celebration. From October 3 to 25, 2026, according to the programme released by the Benin Royal Palace, a series of cultural, sporting, intellectual and social events will mark ten years since the coronation of His Royal Majesty Omo N'Oba N'Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II, CFR, 40th Oba of Benin. The palace describes the occasion as a celebration of a decade of restoration, culture and calm.

The event will begin on Saturday, October 3, with a Cultural Festival. Sunday brings a Durbar, a ceremonial royal procession, and a display of homage, alongside a documentary feature on the Oba's reign on Arise TV.

Midweek, the mood shifts to courts and greens. A chess and lawn tennis tournament runs from October 7 to 10, and a golf tournament follows from October 8 to 11. Friday, October 9, brings a Food Festival, Art Exhibition and Trade Fair, where cuisine, creativity and commerce share one stage. Saturday, October 10, is set aside for the Oba Erediauwa Memorial Lecture, named for the monarch's predecessor. On Sunday, October 11, a novelty football match sits alongside the golf finale.

Week two turns to governance and community. The Benin Summit opens it on Tuesday, October 13, followed by Children's Day on Wednesday, October 14. The Benin Security Summit takes place on Thursday, October 15; wrestling is scheduled for Friday, October 16, and a football match at the stadium follows on Sunday, October 18.

Heritage returns to the foreground on Monday, October 19, with a proposed exhibition of artefacts by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM). Tuesday, October 20, brings a Grand Reception, while a Church Service on Sunday, October 25, closes the celebrations.

Ceremony, sport, scholarship and public conversation all feature in the programme, which runs from October 3 to 25. The palace directs readers to beninroyalcourt.com/anniversary for more information. No venues or times have been stated in the programme, leaving those details to be announced.