Lagos does not archive its culture, it performs it nightly. Three days moving between Onikan's colonial-era museum quarter, the Yaba and Ikoyi gallery circuit, and Ikeja's Afrobeat shrines — with the architecture of Nigeria's oil-boom modernism in between.
Adenrele Sonariwo's gallery occupies a converted Onikan house and runs the Young Contemporaries programme that launched Marcellina Akpojotor and Tonia Nneji. Shows rotate roughly every six weeks; open Tue–Sat 10:00–18:00, free entry.
The colonial Broad Street Prison, rebuilt in 2010 by architect Theo Lawson as a cultural park. Original cell foundations are exposed under glass and the old prison walls now enclose an amphitheatre. Gates open 09:00–22:00 daily; entry ₦500–₦1,000.
Nigeria's 1960 independence tower on Kakawa Street was West Africa's tallest building at 25 storeys, gutted by fire in 1993 and still standing derelict. Walk south along the Marina past the 1970s Cocoa House-era concrete and the Cathedral Church of Christ.
Kavita Chellaram's Lagos Island space handles modern Nigerian masters — Ben Enwonwu, Uche Okeke, Yusuf Grillo — alongside contemporary shows. Related to the Arthouse auction house that set Enwonwu's record prices. Open by appointment and Tue–Sat afternoons.
Fela Kuti's last home on Gbemisola Street, turned museum in 2012. His bedroom is preserved with the original bed and shoe collection, his rooftop is now a bar, and the ground floor holds sax, stage costumes and the 1977 army-raid photographs.
Chef Nkesi Enyioha's restaurant that helped move Nigerian food into white-tablecloth territory in the 2000s. Ofada rice with ayamase sauce, goat-meat pepper soup and asun. Mains run ₦12,000–₦25,000; the Ikeja branch is quieter than Victoria Island.
The 1976 cap-shaped modernist landmark built for FESTAC '77, modelled on Bulgaria's Palace of Culture and Sports in Varna. A ₦100bn Bankers' Committee restoration reopened the 5,000-seat main hall; check the board for evening drama and dance programming.
Femi Kuti's open-air replacement for his father's original shrine, burned down in 1977. Femi plays Sunday evenings and Thursday nights with the Positive Force band; the space also runs the annual Felabration week each October around Fela's birthday.
Streets around Campos Square and Bamgbose hold the Afro-Brazilian houses built by Agudas — freed slaves returning from Bahia after 1830. Water House and Shitta-Bey Mosque (1894) show the stucco, shuttered facades and Portuguese-trained masonry.
A Maryland Street guesthouse and arts bar hung floor-to-ceiling with Nigerian paintings and masks. The Taruwa open-mic night runs Fridays with spoken word, acoustic sets and poetry; the courtyard café serves through the afternoon.
Bolanle Austen-Peters' arts centre on Tiamiyu Savage combines a 300-seat theatre staging Nigerian musicals like Fela and the Kalakuta Queens, a gallery, a Nigerian-language school and a bookshop strong on Nigerian fiction and art monographs.
Kunle Tejuoso's record shop and bookstore, open since 1991, stocking original Nigerian vinyl — highlife, juju, Afrobeat — alongside Nigerian literature and a small coffee bar. Occasional live sets and listening sessions in the back room.