Socio-Economic Impact of Festivals on Community Development In Calabar , Nigeria

Abstract

The overwhelming influences of the big events such as the Carnival Calabar and Leboku new yam festival have welcomed numerous fun seekers into the state. This paper examines the socio-economic impact of the two leading events in Cross River State especially on the host community. Information such as emerging businesses, impact on the various sectors and problems associated with the events were obtained using questionnaires and interviews. Findings show that even though the events have played a significant role in socio-economic development of the areas which was affirmed in the tested hypothesis which showed that the components model account for a high percentage of benefits from the events. It was observed that the events were not devoid of problems such as prostitution, inflation, rubbery among other social vices. It on this note that the various stakeholders must provide adequate measured that would guarantee the comfort and safety of visitors and other fun seekers during the events.