Hello all,
This thread is open for pictures, narrations and experiences of the christmas celebration in Calabar. I have so far witnessed the Calabar Carnival Queen (photos here attached), the musical jives, and today is the Carnival for kids.  December 27, (tomorrow) is slated for the full Calabar Carnival.  The town is full, every hotel space has been taken over, Calabar is bubbling with plenty of life. Please share your experience here.

i no see any picture wey you attach o

check one out. Carnival 27/12/07

Check this out

More

Bayside Royalty and a Gunner Supporter

Even ghosts ressurected

More to go

Carnival

The ugly

variety

very nice. can I use some of these pictures?

whats name of this carnival? any website?

they should promote it more

Forgive my ignorance but is the whole point of a carnival not fun and entertainment?

Why are most people on the street

I am impressed. Did the BBC/CNN see this? i guess not.

Poster, Akon and Faze

hmm nice pic, i mean the akon and faze.

is that truly calabar?, with street lights?

Akon, Faze, 50 Cent, Tuface, Alpha Blondie, Styl Plus, P-Square, Sunny nneji, Awilo logomba, among several other musicians played in the stadium for fun-seekers, free of charge. All the pics here were taken by me, with a Camera phone. It was so much fun while it lasted.

hmm nice pic, i mean the akon and faze.

is that truly calabar?, with street lights?

What were you expecting? people running about naked in the rainforests? Of course that is Calabar!!

As God is my witness, before the end of this ney year I must enter Calabar! It is a crime if I don't! See my country oh!!!! lol.

toshmann:

I am impressed. Did the BBC/CNN see this? i guess not.

Promote something positive? Of course not, mind you bbc might put it on their website but broadcast it live it is not possible!

Calabar seems to be really progressing, Donald Duke deserves some real praise

Nice, very nice.

Wonderful pics.

@Poster, nice of you to remind us of the need to visit with those pics.
Could you give an estimate of what it would cost to to take a trip from lagos to calabar for a weekend, thats three nights by flight? Please factor in transportation costs around the city for sight-seeing

All projections welcome

senetee:

@Poster, nice of you to remind us of the need to visit with those pics.
Could you give an estimate of what it would cost to to take a trip from lagos to calabar for a weekend, thats three nights by flight? Please factor in transportation costs around the city for sight-seeing

All projections welcome

please answer him I need to know this too!

Wow , the pics are so nice , i must visit Nigeria 2008 with my freinds , so i can show them what calabar has to offer .

I miss home

That is really kool

Didn't know they had such a carnival in Nigeria.
Looks like the carribean (caribana) carnival they have here every year.

Nice Pics.

Nice pictures. Like them girls there. Miss my naija gurls.

Celemel

I was there last two years (2006) and it was better than this pass one. Donald held it down better than Liyel did. But regardless, Calabar is absolutely the best city in Nigeria. CALABAR= "Come and Live and be at Rest" I love that town a lot. I wish it was not in Nigeria though! I wish I could fly there straight from the US.

cool pix celemel thanks

was there any event at Tinapa?
cant belive you are the only one from nairaland that attended
seems people from other parts of Nigeria couldn't be bothered

we have to promote domestic tourism before wasting money on cnn adverts

Time to post replies.

@Senetee, ell77
Arik, Virgin Nigeria and Aero ply the Lagos-Calabar-Lagos route. The fare ranges from N10,000 to N15,000 (one-way) depending on the airline. Aero charges N12,500.  Hotels range from the 4-star Metrpolitan (the most expensive with lowest rate of N34,000 per night), to smaller hotels that u can get executive double for as low as N13,500 per night.  Transport within town is available through car-hire.  A typical 12 hour car-hire can be got for N25,000. You may alternatively use the public commuter system (buses and taxis that pick and drop) or the ever-popular Okada. (Mind you, okadas in Calabar are organized. They operate with helmets for passangers and are generally polite in their dealings with people)  If you intend to visit the ranch at Obudu, that is a different kettle of fish altogether.  You may need to go by road (very tedious as Obudu is 5 hrs from Calabar by road) or fly from the Margaret Ekpo Airport Calabar to the Bebbi Airstrip near the ranch. One way costs N10,000.  Accomodation at the ranch is a bit expensive.  The minimum being N12,000 single-room.  But, there are hotels within the periphery of the ranch that one can check-in for as low as N7000/night.  The cable car at the ranch charges a return fare of N1500.  I hope you can do the estimate by yourself. 

@Dis Guy

The Miss Calabar Carnival Queen finale event was held in Emporium A of the Tinapa complex.

So basically shoppers pay 250k to get it load onto the interswitch card which can only be used in tinapa? or they load their 'Tinapa card' 250k max?

what if people buy two cards?

will the cards be available in Calabar only or at all Nigerian banks?
I still think most Nigerians don't know anything about Calabar/Tinapa

I found this on the state website just wondering what Nigerian language it is
http://www.crossriverstate.com/hotels_0.htm