The Bolé Festival returned to the Yakubu Gowon Stadium in Port Harcourt from September 4 to 6, and this year’s edition carried the theme “A Decade of Fire.” The 10th anniversary of the event, which began as a celebration of the city’s beloved roasted plantain dish served with fish and pepper sauce, drew thousands of attendees across three days of food, music, and community programming. PG Records joined the milestone edition as a key supporter, bringing its artists to the lineup and backing the festival’s expanded platform.
The festival has grown considerably from its origins. Organisers put this year’s attendance at more than 35,000 people, with 200 vendors and 50 artists taking part. Among the performers were Timaya, Mavo, Duncan Mighty, David Hart, Peruzzi, and Guchi, who was the only female artist on the bill. PG Records’ presence was carried by its artist Selo, whose live set connected the label’s roster with the festival crowd.
Perelade Dimanche, General Manager of PG Records, said the partnership came from the label’s belief in culture as a route to opportunity for emerging talent, a view that reflects the vision of the label’s founder. “Bolé Festival represents so much of what makes Port Harcourt special – the food, the music, the people and the sense of community,” Dimanche said. “For PG Records, supporting the 10th edition was a natural fit because we believe in creating and supporting platforms where our artists and other young creatives can connect with audiences and be part of meaningful cultural moments. We are proud to have contributed to this milestone and excited about what it means for the future of Port Harcourt’s creative ecosystem.”
The festival’s tenth edition lands at a moment when Nigerian music is expanding globally, and the infrastructure supporting artists at home remains a separate question. Festivals like Bolé give artists a direct line to audiences and give brands and creative companies a reason to invest in the communities where much of the country’s culture originates. PG Records’ involvement in the anniversary edition reflects that shared space: music meeting culture, brands meeting community, and emerging talent meeting an audience.
Port Harcourt’s creative economy has been growing, and Bolé Festival has positioned itself as one of the city’s larger cultural gatherings. The event’s shift from a food-centred celebration to a wider platform for music and creativity mirrors the city’s own ambitions within Nigeria’s entertainment industry. The 10th edition brought together food vendors, creatives, musicians, and cultural enthusiasts for three days, and the scale of the operation, with 200 vendors and 50 artists, points to the festival’s commercial weight.
PG Records’ support of the anniversary edition adds a music-industry layer to the festival’s programming. The label’s involvement goes beyond a logo on a banner; its artist Selo performed, and the partnership signals an ongoing relationship between the record company and the festival’s organisers. Dimanche’s comments tie the sponsorship to a broader goal of building platforms where young creatives can find audiences, a priority that aligns with the label’s stated direction.
The festival’s growth to 35,000 attendees is a concrete measure of its reach, and the organisers’ figures suggest a platform that has outgrown its original scope. What began as a celebration of bolé, the roasted plantain dish that gives the festival its name, now functions as a multi-day cultural event with a national lineup. The presence of artists like Timaya and Peruzzi alongside local figures like Duncan Mighty reflects that expansion.
As Bolé Festival moves into its second decade, the partnership with PG Records places the label inside one of Port Harcourt’s more visible cultural events. The festival’s organisers have built an event that draws tens of thousands of people, and the record company’s backing of the 10th edition ties its artists to that audience. Selo’s performance was one of the moments that connected PG Records’ roster with the festival’s diverse crowd, and the label’s continued involvement will likely shape how its artists reach listeners in the city. The festival’s next decade starts with a record label attached to its growth.
According to Pulse.ng.
