By Bimbola Oyesola and Steve Agbota
In a bid to stimulate its economic and tourism potential, Lagos State is set to host the maiden edition of the Nigeria Beer Festival from September 25 to October 1, 2017.
The Lagos State government is collaborating with beer brewers in the country and their counterparts across the globe to create maximum excitement during the week-long fiesta that will climax with the Independence Day Mega Concert to commemorate Nigeria’s independence.
The festival, which will promote responsible drinking among drinking age (which is 18 years and above) consumers at all its touch points, will be held at the Lagos Atlantic City to give it a carnival atmosphere from Day 1 to the last day. It will be a gathering of the largest community of beer consumers from across the country and beyond.
The organisers of the Nigeria Beer Festival, On and One Event (001) Limited, said the Lagos State government, which is passionate about tourism, will provide massive institutional support, particularly security, transport and related logistics.
The event, according to the organisers, will see Nigeria enrol into the league of beer festivals around the world, and boost the country’s tourism opportunities.
General Manager of 001, Akinola Oluwaleimu, revealed that the world-acclaimed Oktoberfest (Beer Festival) in Munich, Germany, attracts more than 50,000 tourists yearly, while other countries in Europe and America have caught the bug.
Nigeria Beer Festival will be a carnival week of entertainment, sales and marketing and a gathering of the largest community of beer consumers from across the country and beyond with economic value for the brands and the economy at large, Oluwaleimu assured.
The festival will provide an ambience to showcase fashion and lifestyle, as well as culture in a carnival atmosphere with various beer brands and other alcoholic drinks in Nigeria connecting with their existing and potential consumers.
This culture touch point is in line with the view of social scientists that beer is among the symbolic vehicles for identifying, describing, constructing and manipulating cultural values and interpersonal relationships. They classify different alcoholic beverages in terms of their social and cultural meanings.