Durbar Festival, Bauchi State

The Durbar remains one of the key festivals in the State. It features the display of elaborately adorned horses displayed in all their glory and commences from the Eid prayer ground to the palace of the traditional rulers, where horse-racing takes place.

Dressed in traditional regalia, horse-riders pay homage to the chief or Emir, as is traditional. The significance of Durbar is enormous in that various groups are identified by their communal ‘stock-in-trade’ such as warriors, hunters and farmers.

Music and Dances

Bauchi is also rich in cultural dances which stem from its diverse cultural composition and historical antecedents. Among this cultural dances are;
(a) The state dance troupe which represents the richness and variety of ethnic traditions in the state.

(b) Kyaro war dance of the Warji ethnic group.

(c) Afizere dance, a traditional dance of the Jarawa people of the Toro LGA.

(d) The Takai dance (popular among the Hausa-Fulanis)

(e) The Ngat-al-Bajar dance (popular among the people of the Dass LGA).

(f) The Lawurba dance (peculiar to the Sayawa people of the Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro LGAs)

(g) Gere masquerade dance.