This week residents and visitors on Oʻahu have a unique opportunity to experience the depth and breadth of the various indigenous communities that make up the Pacific Islands.
The 13th annual Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPAC) comes to Hawai‘i—for the first time—for 10 days of cultural exchange starting June 6, hosting more than 2,200 delegates (including royalty) from 27 countries like Rapa Nui, Aotearoa, Fiji, Vanuatu and Taiwan.
Dancers from Kiribati.
Photo: Courtesy of Nicholas Tomasello
FestPAC is the largest celebration of indigenous Pacific Islanders, a way to showcase the work of artists, scholars, and cultural practitioners. By exchanging cultural information in this way these indigenous nations are able to conserve culture, spark creativity and innovation, and collaborate on shared issues under the banner of this year’s festival theme “Ho‘oulu Lāhui—Regenerating Oceania.”
A crowd watching canoes, or waʻa, come in.
Photo: Courtesy of Nicholas Tomasello
Launched in 1972 as a way to “halt the erosion of traditional practices through ongoing cultural exchange,” FestPAC is hosted every four years in a different Pacific Island country. This is the first time that Hawai‘i will host the festival, and it will be another 40 years or so before it hosts again, making it a once in a lifetime opportunity for many of us.
The inaugural festival took place in Suva, Fiji, and has evolved and grown over the years. The festival has not only preserved traditional arts and culture but has also served as a platform for contemporary Pacific Island artists to express their creativity and address contemporary issues.
Participants from Australia.
Photo: Courtesy of Nicholas Tomasello
The festival also offers the opportunity for cultural diplomacy across nations, an event that Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green likened to a combination of the Olympics and Merrie Monarch in a recent press event.
The festival boasts more than 50 events across the 10 days of the festival, most of which are free and open to the public. For those planning to attend more than one event, registering on the festival website offers a place to build personalized schedules and reserve spots for activities.
Musicians from the Solomon Islands.
Photo: Courtesy of Nicholas Tomasello
The full festival schedule can be found on the FestPAC website, with most days highlighting a variety of heritage arts, performing arts, and visual arts spread across Honolulu at venues like Bishop Museum, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Outrigger Waikīkī, Capitol Modern and others. The primary location for events and exhibitions is Hawai‘i Convention Center where a daily Festival Village & Marketplace will showcase cultural practitioners and artisans and their works, giving festival goers the opportunity to understand these practices directly from those who regularly engage in them.
At the Festival Village & Marketplace, learn traditional arts like weaving, carving and tattooing. At various locations around Oʻahu, enjoy dance and musical performances from around the Pacific Islands.
Event Highlights:
- June 6, 4 to 9 p.m., University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa: Wehena: Opening Ceremonies
- June 7 to 16, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Hawaiʻi Convention Center: Festival Village & Marketplace
- June 8, 5 to 10 p.m., Salt at Our Kakaʻako: Honolulu Night Market Festival Showcase
- June 9, 1 to 2:30 p.m., University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa: Ekalesia: Ecumenical Service
- June 11 to 13, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Hawaiʻi Convention Center: Moananuiākea Pacific Conversations and Cultural Exchange
- June 12 to 14, Hawaiʻi Convention Center: ‘Aha Niu International Coconut Summit
- June 16, 4 to 9 p.m., University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa: Panina: Closing Ceremonies
Not on Oʻahu this week? You can watch the livestream here.
Follow the festival on Instagram for updates and festival announcements.
