Shivering and shaking at "Africa's Biggest Party"

Olympia De Maismont / AFP Nigerian dancers in silver tops and orange skirts with pompoms dance down the street at the Calabar Carnival

Christmas revelers headed to Nigeria’s southern port city of Calabar this weekend for a festive carnival dubbed “Africa’s biggest street party”.

Emmanuel Adegboye/EPA A woman participating in the Calabar Carnival smiles while wearing a massive headdress with red feathers

Dancers and dancers from various ethnic groups in Nigeria took part in the glittering parade.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP. A woman in a silver carnival skirt and vest helps one participant pick out her clothes and lace up her golden boots - Calabar, Nigeria

The month of celebrations in December draws many revelers to Calabar, the capital of Cross River State and home to many Christian communities. According to the organizers, up to two million people will take part in the event, reports AFP.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP A group of men taking part in the Calabar Carnival pose for a photo wearing black trousers, black suspenders and sunglasses. Their breasts are bare and covered with a golden sheen. Some wear black bow ties.

According to reports, at least 14 collectives took part in performances and competitions this year.

Olympia De Maismont/AFP A group of men wearing white outfits and black wide-brimmed hats blow trumpets as they parade down a street in Calabar, Nigeria

Most of the visitors of the carnival danced to the Afrobeat hits played from the giant speakers.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP. Women in silver outfits and gold-brimmed straw hats with chains dangling from their smiles pose for the camera in Calabar, Nigeria

Carnival celebrates two decades since its founding. “We see different designs, different costumes,” attendee Grace Job told AFP. “There’s a lot of energy.”

Emmanuel Adegboye/EPA Four women in sequined outfits and purple headdresses with feathers attached to manila like horns smile for the camera at the Calabar Carnival

Carnival attracts a wide variety of people to the streets. The troupe pictured below is from the University of Calabar – wearing suits with the institution’s logo.

Some of the suits cited the city’s connection to the Atlantic slave trade. The image below shows manilas – brass bracelets introduced as currency by Portuguese traders and used from the 16th to the 19th century.

Emmanuel Adegboye / EPA A man in a gold sequined outfit with a giant manilla behind him holding golden wings takes part in a carnival in Calabar, Nigeria

This woman’s outfit dates back to colonial times and is dressed like a giant penny of British West Africa during the reign of Britain’s monarch George VI. Nigeria gained independence from Great Britain in 1960.

Olympia De Maismont/AFP A woman wearing a giant 1937 British West African penny parades down a street in Calabar, Nigeria

Olympia De Maismont/AFP A woman wearing a large straw hat and off-the-shoulder dress holds a pink electric fan as she takes part in a carnival in Calabar, Nigeria

“Everyone is trying to show tradition and culture,” Raduysia Elemi, a 25-year-old dancer and civil engineering student, told AFP.

Emmanuel Adegboye/EPA Parade spectators watch through the feet of the performers wearing gold and pink and orange boots

Nigerian music stars Runtown and Iyanya performed a carnival concert at the Calabar Stadium on Friday night. Calas Vegas won the coveted title of best carnival band for the second year in a row.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP A performer in a gold outfit with gold sleeves and gloves and a large silver headdress does jazz hands during the Calabar Carnival

Cross River State sees the carnival – now the biggest in Nigeria – as a way to attract visitors not only from across Nigeria but also from the diaspora.