GTCO Unveils Maiden Holiday Edition of Food and Drink Festival to Boost Family Fun and Enterprise
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO Plc) has announced the maiden Holiday Edition of its renowned Food and Drink Festival, scheduled to take place on 20 and 21 December 2025 at the GT Centre, Oniru, Lagos.
The special end-of-year edition is positioned as an extension of Africa’s largest food exhibition, designed to spotlight the continent’s culinary creativity while delivering memorable holiday experiences for families and strengthening opportunities for food-based SMEs.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos on Thursday, the Group said the Holiday Edition reflects a deliberate shift toward festive, family-centred programming. Unlike the traditional format, the Christmas-season edition will not feature the usual masterclasses. Instead, the focus will be on family fun, enterprise promotion, and accessible cuisine from locally based food businesses.
According to GTCO, all participating SMEs are Nigerian food vendors, offering families a diverse range of meals at affordable prices. More than 4,000 vendor applications were received for this year’s highly competitive selection process, out of which 213 vendors were chosen to receive free exhibition stalls—almost double the number at the previous festival.
“The GTCO Food and Drink Festival has grown into a powerful platform for celebrating enterprise, creativity, and the richness of African cuisine,” the company stated. “The Holiday Edition reflects our commitment to creating joyful shared experiences while supporting SMEs across the food and beverage value chain. We look forward to hosting families, businesses, and visitors from across the world at this special festive celebration.”
The 2025 Holiday Edition will introduce new features such as a vibrant Christmas Village showcasing handcrafted gifts, festive treats, and seasonal entertainment.
A large immersive children’s play zone—complete with holiday-themed games and curated activities—will cater to young families, while a dedicated Street Food Hub will offer signature local flavours. The festival will also include DJ raves featuring two of Nigeria’s leading performers, delivering high-energy sets throughout the event.
GTCO noted that the programme is part of its broader corporate social responsibility objectives aimed at fostering community, supporting enterprise, and enhancing Nigeria’s creative and culinary sectors. “The goal is to foster family fun and enterprise. It is one of our corporate social responsibility initiatives, which is natural to the company,” the organisation said.
Now in its ninth year for the main festival and debuting its first-ever holiday edition, the platform has grown into a hallmark event for food lovers, young professionals, SMEs, culinary entrepreneurs, and tourists. It consistently attracts hundreds of thousands of participants annually, reinforcing GTCO’s positioning as a leading lifestyle-driven financial services brand.
GTCO explained that the Holiday Edition leverages the festive season to deepen engagement with families and broaden SME participation while sustaining the Group’s reputation for curating authentic African lifestyle experiences. It also aims to strengthen GTCO’s brand affinity, increase positive media engagement, and support economic activity within the food and beverage value chain.
Expected attendees include families, young professionals, students, holiday travellers, food enthusiasts, chefs, influencers, and GTCO customers from within and outside Lagos.
