LONDON, 1 October 2026: Aso-Ebi Festival 2026 will hold its fourth annual cultural gala, charity night and awards on 31 October. The event takes place at CHAK89 Banqueting in Mitcham during the UK’s Black History Month. It will bring together African textile heritage, cultural expression, community recognition and charitable giving.
Seasoned journalist and broadcaster HRH Princess Moradeun Adedoyin-Solarin convenes the event with the New Pan-African Movement CIC. The celebration begins at 5pm and continues until late. Guests can enjoy traditional fabrics, distinctive regalia, food, music, fashion and fellowship. Businesses and creatives can also exhibit their work.
Now entering its fourth year, the festival began on 26 October 2023 at the Grand Sapphire Hotel in Croydon. Further editions followed in 2024 and 2025, establishing an annual October gathering. The organisers’ photographic archives record its cultural showcases, guests and award recipients.
The 2026 programme celebrates culture, heritage and excellence. At its centre is aṣọ-ẹbí, the Yoruba practice of wearing a shared fabric. It expresses family connection, friendship, solidarity and belonging.
Princess Moradeun’s journalism and broadcasting career
Princess Moradeun, the festival’s founder and royal host, brings a broadcasting career spanning more than five decades to the initiative. In her own account of her professional beginnings, she dates her entry into Nigerian television to 1975, when she was 17. Her subsequent work included presenting on the Nigerian Television Authority’s Morning Ride.
Princess Moradeun studied journalism in Nigeria, followed by communication arts and media in the United Kingdom. Her career includes broadcasting, presenting, production and media consultancy. Throughout that work, she has taken an interest in the stories of African people and communities.
Her talk show, Arise Conversations, highlights people and organisations seeking to make a positive difference in society. She has described it as a platform for those working to improve lives. That focus on purposeful storytelling also informs her cultural work.
The Women Economic Forum’s biography records her work in print and electronic media, entertainment and music. It also covers her leadership training, mentoring and community work. Her Arize! media brand draws attention to people, organisations and businesses working to create change.
Her public work also includes advocacy for women, girls and young people. She has discussed her former role as chair of Girl Child Network Worldwide. Safeguarding, protection and opportunities for young girls remain among her interests. Her career therefore spans both media and community advocacy.
Royal heritage and the festival team
Princess Moradeun is a granddaughter of Oba Adedoyin Anoko II, the Akarigbo of Remo in Ogun State, Nigeria. Her place in the Adedoyin royal lineage gives her a personal connection to Yoruba heritage. She brings that heritage to her work as a cultural ambassador, journalist, broadcaster, producer and event organiser.
Aso-Ebi Festival brings these strands of her work together in a celebration of identity, creative enterprise and community. It is organised under the New Pan-African Movement CIC, of which she is executive director. Duchess Adebukola Adebiyi serves as programme director and chief host.
The concept of aṣọ-ẹbí is rooted in a familiar Yoruba expression: aṣọ means cloth, while ẹbí refers to family. Shared fabrics worn at marriages, birthdays, naming ceremonies, funerals and other important occasions communicate connection between the people taking part.
Family cloth, creativity and unity
The festival builds on that meaning while opening the celebration to a wider audience. Its invitation extends across Nigerian, African and Caribbean communities, as well as others who wish to experience and appreciate the heritage. Family groups, friends and community associations can participate together while expressing their individual style.
Indigenous fabrics, particularly aṣọ-òkè and àdìrẹ, are central to the organisers’ vision. They aim to recognise the skill and creativity of the weavers, dyers and manufacturers who produce them. Encouraging demand for these textiles is part of the festival’s stated commitment to economic empowerment.
A shared cloth can take many forms when made into an outfit. Through tailoring, headwraps and accessories, participants can bring their own interpretation to the same material. The festival celebrates that creative freedom alongside the collective identity that aṣọ-ẹbí represents.
The programme includes a red-carpet reception, live entertainment, cultural performances, fashion showcases, best-dressed competitions, networking and awards. The awards recognise excellence in culture, leadership, business and community service. Organisations can also book exhibition stands to present their products and services.
Charity, tickets and event details
Charitable giving remains central to the occasion. The official 2026 booking page names Mobility Help for the Disabled UK as this year’s beneficiary. A charity auction and raffle are also on the programme.
The festival’s fundraising has reached causes beyond the UK. Princess Moradeun reports that its 2025 auction helped two projects. These were the Croydon Supplementary Education Project and the Marc Bolan School of Music and Film in Sierra Leone.
Tickets are advertised at £100 in the event’s promotional material, with an easy payment plan available. The official booking page currently displays a standard ticket price of £105.62. The package includes a ten-course buffet, entertainment and five yards of specially branded festival àdìrẹ fabric. Guests should check the final booking total and contact the team about receiving their fabric ahead of the event.
With its welcoming message, “Where everyone is a celebrity”, Aso-Ebi Festival invites guests to celebrate their heritage through their chosen fabrics and regalia. The fourth edition will bring that invitation to CHAK89 Banqueting, Mitcham, CR4 3HG, on 31 October, from 5pm.
For tickets, group bookings, payment options, exhibition opportunities and event enquiries, visit the official Aso-Ebi Festival website. Contact Duchess Adebukola Adebiyi on +44 7850 495291 or email asoebifestival@gmail.com.
