The worst thing to hear at an owambe is, “Food has finished.” The second worst thing? Hearing meat has finished, and you have to eat party jollof with only your hopes and dreams.
Unacceptable.
Neither will be your fate at Burning Ram. We’re bringing you an exclusive celebration of Nigerian meat and barbecue culture on November 11 in Lagos, and it’ll be a full-on festival.
There are several ticket options available, so whether you plan to explore on your own or with your food-loving squad, you can save coins by getting an early bird special or one of the group tickets.
Remember, your ticket includes entry to the festival, where you will experience a variety of activities such as VRSUS competitions, suya-making tutorials, grilling masterclasses, meat-tasting sessions and meat-inspired art and crafts.
You can also enter our exclusive raffle with an additional ₦1000 and stand a chance to take home the ultimate prize of a live ram.
Why haven’t you gotten a ticket yet? Don’t wait until they sell out!
All you have to do is make a meat dish, that’s all.
Can any self-respecting food lover really give themselves the “foodie” title if they haven’t done some form of culinary excursion? I mean, it’s not only about being able to differentiate between pounded and poundo yam.
That’s where we come in. By the time you experience these food festivals, you’ll be more than deserving of your “food lover” ID card.
Bole Festival
Whether you spell it as “bole” or “boli”, this should be the first stop on your food tour. You’d be surprised by the different bole recipes available. Warning: You may never eat it with groundnuts again.
Image: Bole Festival on X
Burning Ram
If you think about it, meat may be every food lover’s origin story. Almost all of us passed through a stealing-meat-from-the-pot phase — don’t even deny it. Burning Ram celebrates the Nigerian culture of meat and grill, and the best part? As of the date of publishing, you can still be a part of the 2023 edition.
New Yam Festival
Yam is the Nigerian staple, not jollof rice. How else do you explain how almost every state and tribe in the country has their own version of a New Yam Festival? For the Igbos, it’s typically celebrated after the rainy season in August, and referred to as “Iwa ji” or “Iri ji”. For the Yorubas, especially in Ekiti, it is termed “Odun Ijesu”. Irrespective of what tribe you celebrate with, you’re sure to find yam delicacies of all types, music, dance and masquerade displays at a New Yam Festival.
Image: The Guardian Nigeria
West Africa Food Festival
This festival is proof you don’t have to japa to expand your tastebuds. As the name implies, this festival involves celebrating the dishes and culinary culture of West African countries. The annual festival is typically held in the countries along West Africa, and 2022’s edition was in Lagos. It features food, competitions and wine tastings.
Image: Flickr
Lagos Seafood Festival
You might think you like seafood, but have you really had everything the sea has to offer if you haven’t eaten stuff like octopus or human-sized fish? The annual festival was rebranded to “Lagos Food Festival” in 2022, but you’re still sure to find interesting sea creatures when you attend.
Argungu Festival
The cultural festival has increasingly become associated with food, as it involves a fishing competition to catch the biggest fish. It happens in Kebbi over a four-day period every year and features agricultural showcases, musical performances as well as wrestling and swimming competitions.
The winner of the 2020 fishing competition was awarded ₦10m, two cars and two seats to Hajj. Excuse me while I go learn how to fish.
Image: The Nation
Calabar Carnival
Termed “Africa’s biggest street party”, the carnival celebrates the Cross River culture, but the cuisine is a huge part of it. It’s an annual four-day event that features a food festival of its own, with rich Efik cuisine, grills and drinks.
Image: The Whistler
Jos Food Festival
If you’ve ever entertained curiosity about what food on the Plateau tastes like, you might want to add the Jos Food Festival to your itinerary. It features indigenous food displays and local musical performances.
Image: Sunday Alamba
PS: You can’t have read up to this point without signing up for Burning Ram. Do it now.
Today, I bring you a Zikoko festival in the works since 2019: Burning Ram.
Burning Ram is a meat festival bringing you and other food enthusiasts, creators and curators together to celebrate the Nigerian culture of meat and grill. We’re inviting you to enjoy the best suya, kilishi, asun, burgers, and interesting takes on common Nigerian meat snacks on September 30, 2023.
Why is Zikoko doing this?
The short answer: for your enjoyment.
You must enjoy
The better answer: A conversation around the lack of African cuisine representation in global conversations is brewing, and Burning Ram is our response. We’re elevating the world’s perception of food, one African dish at a time, by bringing together 3000 people to experience a world of expert grilling, spicing and meat.
Burning Ram is not just an event about meat; our goal is to become pioneers of innovation, conversation and new experiences around African cuisine, starting with meat in Nigeria. Changing perceptions and appreciating a culture’s cuisine is a gradual process, and it starts with one plate, one dish, and one experience at a time.
This is a big goal, and yes, we need your help to make it happen.
Why should you attend Burning Ram?
If you love having a good time with your friends and family. If you love meat — from suya to kilishi that tastes like a rainy evening in Abuja. If you’re not afraid of trying new things, like akara burgers, then you should only be at Burning Ram on Saturday, September 30.
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What to expect at Burning Ram
We promise you a spectacle. The festival will feature various activities including firebreather performances, eating contests, cooking competitions, tutorials, and music. Food lovers will have an opportunity to try out different types of meat in one place.
Fans of Zikoko VRSUS will also enjoy the Suya VRSUS Wars, which will feature a culinary chef versus a mallam. A suya-making tutorial class is another activity that participants can look forward to at the festival.
We’re also running a raffle draw where one lucky attendee will win an actual ram. Yes, you read right. An actual live ram won to be prepared by experts and sent to the winner.
Be the first to get more details about these activities and find out when ticket sales begin by signing up here.
Interested in becoming a sponsor?
Burning Ram is bringing together over 3000 food enthusiasts, chefs, families, students, professionals, tourists and more. To share a part of this vision, kindly reach out to us here.
How do you become a vendor?
You want to showcase your take on meat and everything that can be paired with it at Burning Ram, then register as a vendor, and we’ll be in touch in a couple of weeks.
Burning Ram promises to be an exciting festival for food lovers and meat enthusiasts. Come hungry.
