The city of Lagos was bubbling with excitement all through December with multiple events and recreational activities popping up in every parts of the city. Everybody was ‘outside’. This was not strange given that the city had had been deprived of a decent Detty December (Lagos slang for a fun year-end holiday) since 2019. While there were few shows and events in 2020, government restrictions watered down the fun December every Lagosian and even IJGBs look forward to.
It was a huge relief when the government declared the city open at its first major event since COVID-19. In no time, show producers started announcing events and you could tell the excitement of Lagosians from the number of guests at each event or show.
While the highly anticipated Detty December 2021 have come and gone, some of the experiences remain engraved in our minds. Here are seven lessons we learnt from our Detty December experience.
1. African timing is now a bigger problem- Nigerians are known to start everything late, in fact, they could show up late to their own burial, a culture I would have expected to have died with the level of exposure of the entertainment industry. It is one thing to be fashionably late, it is another thing to be ‘Nigerian artiste’ late, the latter being the holy grail. Almost all the shows I attended in December not only start late but the headliner waltzed in over 4 hours after.
2. Awoof no Dey run belle- The number of requests for concert tickets we received made us look like a giveaway company. It’s almost as if some Lagosians made it a life job to sabotage event producers by refusing to purchase tickets.
3. Ride-Hailing companies Balled- The amount of money the likes of Uber and Taxify must have made in December should be more than enough to finance another ride-hailing startup. If you see any of their staff, bill them! These apps were permanently on a surge and the markup was ridiculous.
4. Na money be fine Bobo- You remember when I said everyone was begging for free tickets? I’ll have to defend them here because those tickets were not cheap. Concert tickets went up by about 100% with tickets going for N10,000 for a B-list event. Prior to 2019, regular tickets to events ranged from N5,000-10,000 and you’re sure to enjoy a Wizkid/Davido show. Last Decemeber, Wizkid Live was N50,000 (roughly $99). If you really want to Detty December hold your ‘cash dollars’.
5. And eating out too- …then there are the Lagos restaurants that took the opportunity to increase their prices but forgot to improve their service too. New restaurants cropped up in December with high shoulder pads in the name of ambience and gourmet food. If you’re thinking of ‘Dettying’ December again, just remember that there’s always rice at home.
6. IJGB stays undefeated- Believe me, everything you heard about IJGBs is true. They were ready to flaunt the strength of their crisp hard currency at concerts, on the streets, at restaurants and at home. Not only were the guys here to take our babes, but they also reminded us that Benjamin Franklin is not our mate.
7. Social Media Entertained Us- Some of us caught up on the shenanigans of Detty December on Social Media. While Instagram was serving us the tea from the shows- Bella Schmurda goofed on stage, White Money was booed at Marlian Fest and many more, Tiktok kept it up with viral challenges. Now we all know that ‘even if it’s night there would always be day’.
Hopefully, these lessons should prepare us for this year’s Detty December. Here’s to an amazing year ahead!
