It is a brand new year and we are delighted to be back, dear readers, friends of the creative industry, and lovers of arts and culture.
We are pleased to welcome you to the latest edition of your periodic creative industry companion, Culture Quarterly, the fourth in the series and one focused on events and developments from the last three months of 2025.
The last quarter of the year falls within the so-called ember months, but at CQ we prefer to call it the arty months because, more than the first three quarters of the year, Q4 is usually filled with creative industry programmes.
This last quarter was no exception.
Concerts, exhibitions and theatrical shows were in full swing. Arts spaces were buzzing, while local and international tourists, revellers and art aficionados had plenty to experience.
It was the period of Detty December, especially in Lagos, Nigeria’s cultural nerve centre, and we are delighted to relive those glorious moments with you across the next colourful 38 pages.
We are thrilled that December, arguably the standout month of the last quarter, did not disappoint. As noted earlier, the Detty December festivities stood out in all their glory, and our reports and opinion pieces from stakeholders did justice to this cultural phenomenon that is redefining Lagos, and by extension Nigeria’s, entertainment landscape.
Detty December has evolved into a defining cultural phenomenon, reshaping Lagos and Nigeria’s entertainment landscape through the power of arts, heritage and creative expression.
This year’s Detty December was significantly driven by culture, symbolised by the return of the iconic Eyo (Adamu Orisa) masquerades. We are pleased to capture all that unfolded in Lagos on Saturday, December 27, when the Adamu Orisa play held in grand splendour after an eight-year hiatus.
The legendary Calabar Carnival also received due attention. Now over two decades old, we are delighted that its 20th edition was held in spectacular fashion.
The amazons of film and theatre were not left out, particularly Funke Akindele, who once again demonstrated through her latest big-screen offering that she understands how to deliver irresistible cinematic experiences. With over N2bn in box office earnings, her Behind the Scenes blockbuster has become Nollywood’s highest-grossing cinema release of all time.
These are the kinds of stories we live to share with you quarterly. This is the dream we cherish with you, dear readers, and we are pleased to have delivered on that promise in our first year as your quarterly culture companion. From our preview edition released in early April 2025, which captured activities from the first three months of the year, to three subsequent editions including this one, we have continued to relive remarkable experiences with you and advance our mission of engaging the arts and creative industry robustly every quarter.
We are happy and determined to walk this path again this year, with special gratitude to our partners, sponsors, advertisers, and most importantly you, our readers and well-wishers, as well as our dedicated in-house team and associates.
May 2026 favour us and all fellow travellers in the culture and creative space as we welcome you to this beautiful edition of Culture Quarterly.
Happy New Year, and do have a blast.
