First-ever Jollof festival comes to Mississauga

The first-ever Jollof festival is coming to Mississauga.

Jollof Fest Mississauga 2025, a celebration of African and Caribbean arts and culture, will be in Streetsville on Aug. 23.

The festival features a Jollof Rice tasting competition, live Afrobeat music performances, cultural displays, drumming and an Afro-Caribbean marketplace.

Jollof Fest Mississauga 2025 organizer Jaygbes Ogbole, of the Pan African Arts, Culture & Trade Institute, said they chose Streetsville for the inaugural festival because of the city’s large African and Caribbean population.

“Mississauga definitely represents one of Canada’s most diverse and vibrant communities,” Ogbole told INsauga.com. The Pan African Arts, Culture & Trade Institute, a non-profit, is the main organizer of Jollof Fest Mississauga 2025.

The festival namesake, Jollof, is a popular rice dish in West Africa and many countries claim to have the best version—the friendly rivalry is known as the “Jollof Wars.”

“There’s this rivalry between Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Liberia…” Ogbole, who is from Nigeria, said. “Everyone claims to have the best Jollof.”

The dish is a mix of rice, tomato sauce and spices, Ogbole told INsauga.com. Nigerians like it to be a bit spicy and smoky, while Ghanaians like it to be very, very flavourful, he said. The type of rice also varies among countries.

“Everybody has a different twist to it,” he said.

Jollof originated in the Senegal area, previously the Wolof Empire. Over time, the dish evolved and it is now a staple at any West African gathering,

“When you go to parties, there’s always Jollof,” Ogbole said. “If there’s no Jollof on the menu, something’s wrong with that event.”

So a key event at the Jollof Fest in Mississauga will be the tasting competition. In this event, professional chefs, home cooks and culinary students are welcome to compete. There is no charge to enter but participants must submit a one-minute video of themselves making Jollof. The videos will be posted the Jollof Fest platform and videos with over 100 views will secure a spot in the cooking competition.

At the festival, the participants will make a small portions for the judges’ tasting.

First prize is $1,000, second is $500, and there’s also a people’s choice award where festival-goers can vote on their favourite Jollof based on aroma and presentation, Ogbole said.

The festival will also include family-friendly activities, including drumming, storytelling, face painting and dance workshops.

The Afro-Caribbean marketplace will highlight local food, fashion, art and crafts. Food vendors will be on-site offering different styles of Jollof rice and other West African delicacies.

While this is the first Jollof Fest in Mississauga, there are similar festivals in the U.S.

Jollof Fest 2025 will be on Saturday, Aug. 23 from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Streetsville Memorial Park,  355 Church St., Mississauga. There is no charge for admission.

For a full line-up of events, details on entering the Jollof competition and more information, see the website here.

Lead photo: Jollof Fest Mississauga 2025