Entertainment
How Night Life Thrives In PH
Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital is a bubbling city where night life and entertainment thrive. The city was founded by Lord Frederick Lugard in 1912 and named after the then Secretary of State for the colonies, Sir Lewis Viscount Harcourt in 1913. The purpose then was to export the coal that Geologist Albert Ernest Kitson had discovered in Enugu in 1909.
The city was later used as a base for military operations against the central forces in German Kamerun (an area that covers part of modern day Camerooon and Gabon) during the first World War. After the discovery of crude oil in Oloibiri in 1956, Port Harcourt exported the first ship load from Nigeria in 1958.
Today, Port Harcourt is widely known as Nigeria’s Garden City, the pearl of the Niger Delta region and home of the black gold (oil) and gas in the country.
It is the third most developed and flourishing metropolis in Nigeria after Lagos and Abuja and arguably, the hub of oil and gas in Africa.
Apart from oil and gas, the city is also popular for her vibrant entertainment industry and late night activities. Port Harcourt has one of the best night life in the country from sophisticated hot spots that attract a celebrity clientele to small after hour bars where fun seekers go to enjoy undiluted fun and entertainment. The diverse night clubs, dancing bars and other hangouts, give you a taste of what the city’s night life offers.
The city bubbles from Monday to Sunday from 9.00pm till dawn; there is no doubt that Port Harcourt residents love fun as the clubs are always filled to the brim and the best Deejays (DJs) in town thrill their customers with various genres of music. The customers are also entertained with exotic wines and alchoholic beverages while the operators smile to the banks at the end of the day.
Most of the popular night clubs are located at the GRA axis of the city. Among these banging clubs are Play House, Liquid Lounge, Ediz Wine Bar and Champaign Lounge, Cassablanca, and Grendale. Others include X Lounge, Night Box, Boomerang, etc. There are also the dancing bars and other swinging hangouts with their cosy environment and mesmerizing lightening.
Comedy shows are also held in the night hours to provide all round fun as most of the fun seekers look out for such events where they listen to rib cracking jokes from seasoned humour merchants. On such events, there are no dull moments.
Another boost to night life in the city are the cinema houses. Due to the return of the cinema culture to the city which suffered decline decade ago, watching movies on Television is now regarded as old school. The big screen now trends. Apart from watching foreign soap operas such as Zee World and Telemundo Channels that hold most ladies captive, movie buffs prefer the big screen. Apart from entertainment, going to the cinema for most young people has become a life style and with movie premiers becoming a major item on the events calendar. It also afford them the opportunity to relax and in most cases make new friends as well as business contacts.
Among the popular cinemas in the city are I Cinema, Stadium Road, Silverbird Cinema at Abonnema Wharf Road, Genesis Deluxe Cinema located at Tombia Street, GRA Phase 2, Port Harcourt, Film house Cinemas and Pepperoni Cinemas at Azikiwe Road and Eliozu, Port Harcourt respectively.
The hustle and bustle of the Port Harcourt City night life make the city the darling of all fun lovers in Nigeria who troop into the city on daily basis, foreigners inclusive. The bubbling and vibrant city life has indeed endured in Port Harcourt, especially for those who regard the city as Nigeria’s entertainment haven and a city to beat if you are looking for the good things of life.
Funke Akindele’s Behind The Scenes becomes Nollywood’s highest-grossing film of 2025, earning ?1.77bn in under four weeks.
Multi-award-winning actress and producer Funke Akindele has done it again, and this time, the numbers speak louder than applause.
Her latest film, Behind The Scenes, has officially emerged as the highest-grossing Nollywood film of 2025, pulling in an astonishing ?1.767 billion in less than four weeks.
The Tide Entertainment reports that Funke Akindele Makes Box Office History as Behind The Scenes Crosses ?1.77bn
Earlier in its release cycle, the film’s distributor, FilmOne Entertainment, revealed that Behind The Scenes smashed five opening-weekend records, including the highest single-day gross ever recorded on Boxing Day, with ?129.5 million in one day. That announcement already hinted that something unusual was unfolding.
Reacting to the milestone, FilmOne described the moment as both surreal and communal, crediting audience loyalty for pushing the film to the top spot once again as the number-one movie of the weekend. And that sentiment feels accurate. This wasn’t just ticket sales; it was momentum.
What makes this achievement even more striking is that Behind The Scenes is Funke Akindele’s third film to cross the ?1 billion mark. Before now, there was A Tribe Called Judah, and then Everybody Loves Jenifa, a film that didn’t just open big, but went on to become the highest-grossing Nollywood film of all time. At this point, it’s no longer a fluke. It’s a pattern.
Part of Behind The Scenes’ success lies in strategy. The film enjoyed advanced screenings on December 10 and 11, quietly building curiosity and conversation before its nationwide release on December 12. By the time it officially hit cinemas, audiences already felt like they needed to see it.
Then there’s the cast. The film brings together a lineup that feels deliberately stacked: Scarlet Gomez, Iyabo Ojo, Destiny Etiko, Tobi Bakre, Uche Montana, and several others. Familiar faces, strong fan bases, and performances that kept word-of-mouth alive long after opening weekend.
Still, beyond timing and casting, there’s something else at work here. Funke Akindele understands Nigerian audiences. Their humour, their pacing, their emotional buttons. She doesn’t guess, she calculates, experiments, listens, and refines. That understanding has slowly turned into box-office dominance.
Behind The Scenes crossing ?1.77 billion isn’t just another headline; it’s confirmation. Funke Akindele has moved from being a successful actress to becoming one of the most reliable commercial forces Nollywood has ever produced. Three-billion-naira films don’t happen by luck. They happen when storytelling, business sense, and audience trust align.
And right now, that alignment seems firmly in her hands.
Popular Nigerian music stars, Adekunle Kosoko, widely known as Adekunle Gold, and his wife, Simi, have become parents again this time to twins.
The award-winning singer shared the joyful update on his Snapchat story on Wednesday, confirming the expansion of their family.
“Asked God for another child and he blessed me double,” she wrote.
While the couple has not yet disclosed the gender of the newborns, the announcement has sparked an outpouring of warm wishes from admirers, fellow celebrities, and industry colleagues.
Speculation had intensified in December when Simi posted a video on Instagram accompanied by the caption, “From my baby, for my babies.”
The clip showed her with a growing baby bump, fueling anticipation that another child was on the way.
Their latest blessings arrive just weeks after Simi highlighted a scene from Adekunle Gold’s newly released music video, “My Love is the Same,” further stirring excitement among fans.
The Tide Entertainment reports that Adekunle Gold and Simi who tied the knot in 2019 after a long history of friendship and musical synergy remain one of Nigeria’s most admired entertainment power couples. Both artistes were once signed to X3M Music before soaring into mainstream acclaim.
The pair welcomed their first child, Adejare Kosoko, fondly called Deja, in May 2020.
After closing out 2025 with the release of “Praise the Lord” featuring Magnito, Jesse Flames enters the new year with renewed clarity and purpose, continuing to build a body of work rooted in intention rather than noise. In a moment where Afrobeats is moving faster and louder than ever, his approach remains measured and deliberate, prioritizing meaning, craft, and longevity over momentary attention. The official music video arrives January 10.
Following the momentum of his breakout single “FLEX,” “Praise the Lord” represents a shift from celebration to grounding. Reflective and soulful, the record centers gratitude, growth, and perspective, capturing a quieter confidence that resonates beyond a single moment.
“This song is about recognizing the full picture,” Jesse shares. “The work people see and the work they don’t. The lessons, the setbacks, the growth.”
The collaboration with Magnito, a respected voice in Nigerian hip hop known for his sharp lyricism and cultural authenticity, adds depth and weight to the record, reinforcing its themes of resilience, faith, and self reflection.
Released in December at the height of Detty December, “Praise the Lord” became a natural soundtrack for both celebration and reflection as the year came to a close. With the video arriving in January, the record takes on new meaning, opening the year as a tone setter rather than a reset.
Born in the United States, raised in Festac, Lagos, and now based in London, Jesse Flames brings a global perspective to his sound, blending Afrobeats, hip hop, and melodic soul into something sleek and intentional. His music reflects lived experience and cultural nuance rather than trend chasing.
The Tide Entertainment reports that with over 11 million streams, performances at O2 Brixton Academy and OVO Arena Wembley, and coverage from The Guardian and Business Post Nigeria, Jesse’s rise has been steady and self made. Looking ahead to 2026 and 2027, he is preparing for collaborations with Ice Prince, M.I Abaga, and Smurlee.
“Praise the Lord” ft. Magnito is available now on all streaming platforms.
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