National Art Theatre Lagos - A Cultural Landmark & Historical Masterpiece

National Art Theatre – A Monumental Masterpiece, Nigerian national Pride.
The National Art Theatre is one of the most beautiful tourist attractions in Lagos, Nigeria, it is a centre for the promotion of arts and culture in Nigeria. It was built in 1977 in commemoration of Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC 1977). The National Theatre Lagos has a 5,000 capacity auditorium built with state of Art Amenities. It is an architectural masterpiece, a cultural landmark and historical destination which is the first of its kind in Africa. It is a multi-purpose hall covering over 23,000 square metres. The National Art Theatre sits on forty acres of land, it was established for the conservation, presentation and promotion of arts and culture in Nigeria. The National Theatre Lagos has seen performances from some of the best artists in Nigeria. The Theatre is one of the biggest in Africa and has seen performances from some of the best Art theatres in Africa.

About the National Art Theatre Lagos

The Construction of the National Arts Theatre was signed on 24th April 1973 by the then Military Head of State General Yakubu Gowon. The National Theatre Lagos was designed and built by Techno Exporstroy A Bulgarian Construction Company. The National Art Theatre was built to resemble the Palace of Culture and Sports in Varna, Bulgaria.

The National Theatre is located in Iganmu, Lagos State Nigeria. It was built in 1977 by the military regime of Olusegun Obasanjo to celebrate the Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC)
It is architecturally crafted to have a Military ceremonial hat. It has two main halls which when collapse can accommodate about 5,000 people. It was completed in 1976 and officially opened on September 30, 1976, and ever since it has hosted lots of stage plays, shows, events, exhibitions, conventions, symposiums, workshops, training etc

Facilities at the National Art Theatre Iganmu

Apart from the mind-blowing architectural design, the National Theatre also comes with well lush greenery, beautiful gardens, sculptures, wall carvings, paintings, lakes and the well-groomed vegetation to feed your eyes. Here are some of the facilities at the National Art Theatre:
a. The Main Theatre: It has a 5,000 capacity hall with a collapsible stage.
b. Cinema: The National Art Theatre comes with Two Full Capacity Cinema halls with a facility to simultaneously translate up to 8 different languages at the same time. It has 2 cinema halls (350 capacity each)
c. The National Gallery of Modern Nigerian Arts: The National Art Theatre comprises of the collection of National Gallery of Modern Nigerian Arts with a rich history of the Nigerian culture.
d. The Universal studio of Arts: The Universal Studio of Art is an art centre within the National Art Gallery where Artworks and paintings are made by highly skilled sculptures.

e. Conference Banquet Hall: It also comes with a banquet hall (1,000 Seaters)
f. Exhibition Hall: It has an Exhibition hall with a capacity of 1500 each
g. Lobby: It has Four Lobby with 250 sitting capacity.
h. Restaurants, Lounges and Bars: It has several restaurants, bars, lounges and leisure centres. It is one of the favourite hangout spots in Lagos.
i. Lawns: The National Theatre comes with well-maintained lawns where you can have beautiful romantic moments.
j. Gardens: It is adorned with well-manicured gardens giving it a beautiful good for amazing sightseeing.
k. Large car parks: Do not worry about where to park your car, this multi-purpose theatre has ample car parking space that could take more than a thousand cars.
l. Police post: For security, A theatre located on 40 acres of land needs its police posts right?

Location of the National Art Theatre

The National Art theatre is located along Iganmu road, Lagos State, Nigeria. It is less than 3 minutes drive from Costain and 15 minutes drive from Lagos Island.

Opening Hours

The National Art Theatre opens from Mondays through Sunday from 8 am to about 6 pm while the main complex can be accessible late till evening

Things to do at the National Theatre Lagos

Watch a Stage play: Are you are a lover of stage plays and looking for some of the finest stage plays in Nigeria? The National Theatre will not disappoint you.
Visit the art gallery: The art gallery is open to all and offers exclusive African paintings, sculptures and drawings. A visit to this gallery will leave you wowed.
Organise a picnic: Organising a picnic with friends and family should also be something you should consider.
Visit the Universal Studio of Art: If you want to learn how to make artworks or want to buy one, a visit to the Universal Studio of Art will leave you amazed.
Enjoy some of the artworks: The theatre is beautified with different kinds of artworks and sculptures.