Reviewing the National Cultural Festival: The Case of the Effutu Municipal Education Directorate from 2009-2019, Ghana 1. Introduction The culture of reviewing national programs or events has received little attention from researchers, although recommendations from such reviews assist in strengthening the programs for the development of the nation as a whole. The purpose of a program review is to determine the viability and effectiveness of that program or event (Hanover Research, 2012). The National Cultural Festival for basic schools in Ghana which started in 1989 is one such event that requires review. Culture provides the knowledge needed to adapt to our surroundings to harness resources from the natural environment (Nannyonga-Tamusuza, 2003) and to solve problems of living in a particular place. It gives people the skills they need to produce the tools, shelter, clothing and other objects they use to service the community (Gbadegbe & Mensah, 2013; van der Borg & Russo, 2005). As they grow up, children socially learn skills for tracking game, gathering wild plants, making gardens, herding livestock or finding jobs, depending on how people make their living in a particular society. The National Cultural Festival is run alternatively between basic and the second cycle schools. Hence it is an event that is held biennially for each category of schools (basic and second cycle). The year 2018 saw the 12 th edition of second cycle school's cultural festival which was held at Koforidua in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The year 2019 saw the 16 th edition of the basic school's cultural festival held at Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana. The rationale for holding the National Cultural Festival is to inculcate into the pupils the habit of positively contributing to national development aspirations. The National Cultural Festival has two (2) main disciplines, which are performing and visual arts. Under the performing arts discipline are the performance ofchoral music, sight singing, drum language, poetry recital, dance and drama in English. The visual arts category usually takes the form of exhibitions showcasing painting, still life drawing, sewing, paper craft, and cook art. Each competing year there is a theme, compulsory song and dance that guides activities of the National Cultural Festival taking into consideration the host region. For example, Asafo and Osoode were chosen for the 16th edition of the basic schools' cultural festival held in Cape Coast in 2019. Due to the limited reviews of events of this nature, it has become imperative to take a critical look at the event as it is held in the Effutu Municipal area. The study investigates the success of the event, its strengths and challenges and finally offers suggestions for similar future events. The Effutu Municipal is one of the seven (7) Municipalities in the Central Region of Ghana, having Winneba as its capital. The Municipality has forty-two (42) government basic and Junior High Schools (Effutu Municipal Education Directorate, 2019). In the arena of ...