Laughter, Lights and Leisure: GTCO Food & Drink Festival Turns Holidays into a Family Carnival
By Arikawe Femi, The People’s Voice Nigeria News
As dusk settles over the GTCO Food & Drink Festival Holiday Edition, the soundscape shifts. The hum of conversations blends with laughter, excited screams, and the rhythmic whirr of amusement rides in motion. At the heart of the Festival grounds, children clutch their seats as brightly lit aircraft-shaped rides spin gently into the air, their faces lit up with excitement.
For many families, this is more than a food event, it is a shared holiday experience.
Across the open space, parents line up patiently as children take turns on inflatable slides and carousel rides, while others wave enthusiastically mid-air, calling out to family members watching from below. The atmosphere mirrors that of a Christmas fair, complete with festive lights, safety barriers, and attendants guiding each ride.
A Festival Designed with Families in Mind
The deliberate inclusion of children’s zones has transformed the GTCO Food & Drink Festival Holiday Edition into a family-centred destination. While adults explore food stalls and culinary offerings, children are engaged in safe, supervised recreational activities that allow parents to relax and fully immerse themselves in the event.
Unlike many premium lifestyle events that quietly exclude families through high costs or limited facilities, the GTCO Festival’s free entry policy ensures that families from diverse backgrounds can participate without financial pressure.
For many parents at the venue, the experience offers something increasingly rare in urban settings: a space where children can play freely while adults socialise, eat, and reconnect during the festive season.
Christmas Spirit Beyond Decorations
The Christmas atmosphere at the Festival is not defined solely by décor, but by participation. From the excitement of first-time riders gripping safety bars to groups of children laughing as rides slow to a stop, the energy is communal and inclusive.
The sight of children enjoying themselves, some in school uniforms, others dressed in festive outfits—reflects a broader intention: to make the holidays memorable not just through consumption, but through experience.
Even as evening approaches, queues remain steady, underscoring the appeal of the recreational section as a key draw of the Holiday Edition.
Creating Shared Urban Memories
In a city often defined by congestion and daily pressures, the Festival provides a temporary pause, a shared space where families gather, children play, and communities interact beyond routine schedules.
As lights continue to flicker and the rides spin under the Lagos sky, it becomes clear that the GTCO Food & Drink Festival Holiday Edition is doing more than celebrating food. It is creating moments—small, joyful moments—that families will remember long after the decorations are packed away.
In those moments of laughter and motion, the Festival captures the essence of the season: togetherness, joy, and the simple pleasure of being present.
