GTCO Food & Drink Festival Commences on May 1

Adebayo Obajemu

GTCO has unveiled GTCO Food & Drink Festival, an annual event that brings together food lovers from across Africa and beyond for a weekend of celebration, food, and togetherness. This is part of its effort to continue to reach out to its customers through corporate social responsibility.

This year edition is centered around the themed ‘Everything Food and Drink’, is expected to hold from Friday, 1st May to 3rd May, at the GTCentre, Plot 1 Water Corporation Drive, Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The festival, which is organized by Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, a leading financial services company, is aimed at promoting culture, enterprise and creating great experiences for all stakeholders in the food and drink industry.

Organizers note that the festival has evolved from a seasonal celebration into a major cultural and economic key contributor.

The event promises to showcase the best of Nigerian and international cuisines, bringing together the greatest minds on the global culinary stage, the most industrious Nigerian small food business owners, and a world-class, state-of-the-art children’s play area.

Speaking on the development, the Group Chief Executive Officer [CEO] of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, Segun Agbaje stated that, “Food and drink are intrinsically social things, and best enjoyed when shared. We understand the value of bringing together businesses and consumers who are passionate about food and have continued to inspire new ways to experience life through food and drink. The continuing success of our free-business platforms reflects our unchanging commitment to promoting enterprise and echoes our brand promise of creating great experiences.”

Speaking ahead of the 2026 edition, the CEO of GTCO Plc emphasized the festival’s continued evolution as both a cultural and economic enabler. “The festival has, over the years, become a living expression of what we stand for as an institution: innovation, opportunity, and enterprise that is accessible to all.”

Mrs Oyinade Adegite, Head of Corporate Communications for GTCO stated thus:

“To accommodate the increasing number of attendees and vendors, GTCO Food & Drink Festival is expanding its capacity by creating more opportunities for more businesses and increasing its highly coveted free vendor stalls to 204.”

This, according to her, will give even more innovative and assiduous business owners the chance to not only showcase their businesses to the thousands of foodies expected to attend but also engage with their customer base and learn from a confluence of other great-minded food entrepreneurs.

She said that the 204 vendors were selected after a transparent and rigorous exercise from about six thousand Vendors that applied to participate, adding that 90 per cent of the Vendors are new ones that have never participated in the festival.

The event will grant free access to everyone; it will also feature master classes with international chefs and food experts. There will be music and a lively after-party. The festival promises to be a great opportunity for food lovers to explore and taste different cuisines from across the world and learn from industry experts.

GTCO Food and Drink Festival has established itself as a leading culinary destination on the continent, drawing visitors from across Nigeria and the international diaspora.