Last month the Bula Festival took place in Nadi, Fiji. Well, this month the capital town of Suva will host the Hibiscus Festival from August 10-18, 2018. This year’s intriguing theme is: “Reuse – Reduce – Refuse – Re purpose – Recycle”. The festival is held every August to coincide with the second-term school break. The annual beauty pageant and the crowning of the ‘Hibiscus Queen’ are the chief draws, but guests also flock to the live music and the amusement park, browse stalls and enjoy other free entertainment.
The Hibiscus Festival is Fiji’s longest running festival since 1956. The first festival was held for one night only at the Suva Town Hall, now the Vine Yard Restaurant (formerly Ming Palace). Due to its huge success the festival was increased to 3 days the next year and it wasn’t long before it was to become a week-long festival.
Although the festival was very successful, after 30 years the festival took a lapse in the mid-80s with no real vigor. It was later renamed as the Hibiscus Carnival and ran successfully for many years until the early years of the millennium when the carnival began to lose much of its luster and energy. In an effort to revive the Hibiscus Festival the Suva City Council and the Suva Retailers Association collaborated to establish the Hibiscus Events Group Inc. The group is led by a Chairman and a Secretariat that administers its work and is made up of volunteers who form committees and sub-committees.
The festival brings Suva to a stand-still during the first week of the school term two holidays. Thousands converge at the Albert Park, the home of the festival, to enjoy; the food, rides, entertainment, sporting activities, opening march, floats procession, singing and dancing competitions, children’s day, displays, careers village, arts village, contestants judging and crowning to name a few. It is a fun filled week for the entire family to celebrate the different cultures and the diversities that binds this vibrant city.
The festival has a Facebook page where you can follow the events during the week. Simply click here to see what’s going on!
Island Time 