Amala Summer Gbedu Festival Draws Hundreds to Gateshead in Celebration of Nigerian Food and Culture

Hundreds of people from across the North East gathered at Swalwell Community Centre in Gateshead on Saturday as the 10th Amala Summer Gbedu Festival brought together lovers of Nigerian food, music and culture for a day of celebration.

Organised by Obateni Limited, the annual event transformed the venue into a lively cultural hub, with the aroma of traditional Yoruba cuisine, live music and colourful attire creating an atmosphere that reminded many attendees of home.

Despite several other community events taking place across Newcastle and Gateshead on the same day, the festival attracted one of its biggest crowds yet.

Speaking to Vantage Magazine, the Chief Executive Officer of Obateni Limited, Temilola Ijabumoye, described the turnout as overwhelming.

“This is the tenth edition of the Amala Festival. The turnout is massive and impressive, especially considering there are many other events happening in Newcastle today,” she said.

She explained that what has become one of the region's most anticipated Nigerian cultural events began from a simple family conversation.

“It all started with passion. We were having a family gathering and talking around the dining table. People were always coming to my house, especially after church on Sundays, because I loved cooking for them. They kept telling me I could do something bigger in Newcastle.

“With encouragement from my family and friends, I decided to start. The name ‘Amala Festival’ came up during that conversation and it stayed. To the best of my knowledge, I was the first person to organise an Amala Festival in the UK.”

She said the event has always been about much more than food.

“The festival is centred on family, sharing love, building community and promoting our culture and identity. It is about putting aside our differences, whether tribe or religion, and celebrating together.”

“The festival is centred on family, sharing love, building community and promoting our culture and identity.”

Guests travelled from different parts of the UK to attend the celebration, many dressed in colourful Nigerian traditional outfits.

Among them was Oreoluwa Olujitan, who wore an elegant Aso Oke Eleku ensemble as part of the event's Aso Ebi.

She described this year's edition as the best she had attended.

“The festival is amazing and very family-oriented. This year's event is different because of the organisation and the number of people who came. The venue is bigger and more convenient, the food is excellent and everyone seems genuinely happy.”

Regular attendee Oluseyi Oderinde also commended the organisers, saying the festival continues to improve every year.

Other guests praised the live band's performance, which kept the audience dancing throughout the day, although several suggested that an even larger venue may be needed for future editions because of the growing popularity of the festival.

The event also celebrated personal milestones within the community. Birthday celebrants were presented with cakes, while couples marking wedding anniversaries received gifts, reinforcing the festival's emphasis on family and togetherness.

As always, the food remained the star attraction.

Long queues formed around serving stations where guests enjoyed generous portions of freshly prepared amala served with ewedu, gbegiri and assorted meats. Other favourites on the menu included Ofada rice, agoyin beans with Agege bread, jollof rice, moin moin, pepper soup, asun, oha soup, pounded yam and bitterleaf soup.

Now in its tenth year, the Amala Summer Gbedu Festival has grown from a family idea into one of the North East's biggest celebrations of Nigerian culture, providing a space where food, music and tradition continue to bring people together across communities.

From the night