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Witness / Attend in Argungu
Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival
Argungu is a riverside town in Kebbi State, in the far northwest of Nigeria, on the Sokoto river near the border with Niger. Seat of the historic Kebbi kingdom, it is known nationwide for the Argungu International Fishing and Cultural Festival, one of the country's oldest cultural celebrations.
Organized by Kebbi State Government, which publishes the official dates and program.
Why here
The Argungu Fishing Festival is one of Nigeria's oldest and most spectacular cultural events, first held in 1934 to mark the end of centuries of hostility between the Sokoto Caliphate and the Kebbi kingdom. Its climax is unlike anything else in West Africa: thousands of men line the bank of the Sokoto river, and at a starting gunshot they plunge in together, each with a large hand net and a hollow gourd for buoyancy, and have about an hour to wrestle out the biggest fish. The winning catch runs to tens of kilograms. Around it come days of canoe races, traditional wrestling and boxing, music, and a durbar of horsemen from the Kebbi emirate. Suspended for years over security concerns, the festival was revived by the Kebbi State Government, and the 61st edition in February 2026 drew tens of thousands under heavy state security. It remains a rare northern spectacle for the traveller willing to plan carefully around the advisory.
Best months
The festival is held over about four days in February or March, marking the start of the dry-season fishing. This is the Harmattan-into-hot-season window in the northwest: dry, dusty and very hot by day, cooler at night. The grand fishing contest is the final day; the earlier days carry the canoe races, wrestling and durbar. Dates are set by the Kebbi State Government and the emirate and confirmed close to the time.
Getting there & around
Travel advisory · Reconsider Travel
Nigeria is under a US State Department Level 3 Reconsider Travel advisory overall, and Kebbi State sits in the high-risk northwest where banditry and kidnapping have driven Level 4 Do Not Travel warnings for neighbouring states (as of 2026-07). The festival was suspended for years over insecurity and only revived recently; the February 2026 edition ran under heavy state-provided security with the President in attendance. Reach Argungu via Birnin Kebbi or Sokoto; do not travel independently. Go only with organised, security-aware arrangements, and check current advisories before committing.
Skill levels: beginner
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