Sparkles and shakes at 'Africa's biggest party' - ORSOLTECH

Olympia De Maismont / AFP Nigerian dancers in silver shirts and orange skirts dance in a street at the Calabar Carnival

Christmas revelers flocked to the southern Nigerian coastal city of Calabar this weekend for a festive carnival dubbed “Africa's largest street party.”

Emmanuel Adegboye/EPA A woman participating in the Calabar Carnival smiles while wearing a huge red feather headdress

The attractive show featured floats and dancers from many different ethnic groups in Nigeria.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP A woman in a silver carnival skirt and bodice helps a fellow stylist tie her golden shoe - Calabar, Nigeria

The month of festivities in December attracts many partygoers to Calabar, the capital of Cross River State and home to many Christian communities. Agence France-Presse says organizers say up to two million people will participate.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP Side photo of a Calabar Carnival participant using a mobile phone as a mirror to apply lipstick

Olympia De Maismont / AFP A group of men participating in the Calabar Carnival pose for a photo wearing black pants, black suspenders and sunglasses. Their chests are bare and covered in golden glitter. Some wear black ties.

At least 14 groups reportedly participated in the shows and competitions this year.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP A group of men wearing white clothes and large black brimmed hats blow horns as they parade down a street in Calabar, Nigeria.

Most of the carnival goers danced to the tunes of Afrobeats songs blaring from giant speakers.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP Women wearing silver clothes, gold-brimmed straw hats and chains dangling from their smiles while posing for the camera in Calabar, Nigeria

The carnival celebrates two decades since its beginning. “We see different designs and different outfits,” Grace Job, one of the attendees, told AFP. “There's a lot of energy.”

Emmanuel Adegboye/EPA Four women wearing sequined outfits and purple feather headdresses attached to manila horns at the Calabar Carnival smile for the camera

The carnival attracts a wide range of people to the streets. The squad pictured below is from the University of Calabar – with uniforms printed with the institution's logo.

Some costumes referred to the city's links to the transatlantic slave trade. The figure below depicts manilas – copper bracelets introduced by Portuguese merchants as a form of currency and used from the 16th to 19th centuries.

Emmanuel Adegboye / EPA A man in a gold sequin costume with a giant manila behind him flying golden wings participates in a carnival in Calabar, Nigeria

This woman's costume dates back to the colonial era and is dressed as a giant British West African coin from the era of British Monarch George VI. Nigeria gained its independence from Britain in 1960.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP A woman dressed as a giant 1937 British West Africa coin parades down a street in Calabar, Nigeria

Olympia De Maismont / AFP A woman in a large straw hat and off-the-shoulder clothing carries a pink electric fan while participating in a carnival in Calabar, Nigeria.

“Everyone is trying to highlight tradition and culture,” Rijois Elemi, 25, a dancer and civil engineering student, told AFP.

Emmanuel Adegboye/EPA Parade spectators look through the legs of performers wearing gold, pink and orange shoes

At a stadium in Calabar on Friday evening, Nigerian music stars Runtown and Iyanya performed at a carnival concert. Calas Vegas went on to win the title of Best Carnival Band for the second year in a row.

Olympia De Maismont / AFP A female musician wearing a gold costume, gold sleeves and a large silver headdress plays jazz during the Calabar Carnival

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