The Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPAC), also known as the Pacific Arts Festival, is a travelling festival hosted every four years in Oceania. It was conceived by the Pacific Community as a means to stem erosion of traditional cultural practices by sharing and exchanging culture at each festival. The major theme of the festival is traditional song and dance.
Organisation The Pacific Cultural Council (formerly "Pacific Arts Council" or "Council of Pacific Arts", originally "South Pacific Arts Festival Council") This mis-titled article describes adoption of name change, not by the Festival of Pacific Arts, but by its overseeing body, from "Council of Pacific Arts" to "Pacific Cultural Council." selects the host country and recognises that each participating country desires the opportunity to showcase its unique indigenous culture by hosting the festival. Host selection is based on principles of equity and preference is given to countries which have not yet hosted. The festival host country pays participants' costs of local travel, accommodation, meals, and other forms of hospitality. Entry to all artistic events is free to the public thereby maximising cultural outreach and inclusion.
By its vastness, the Pacific Ocean inhibits social and cultural interchange between the inhabitants of its mostly island countries. The festival, not a competition but a cultural exchange, reunites people and reinforces regional identity and mutual appreciation of Pacific-wide culture. Participating countries select artist-delegates to represent the nation at this crossroads of cultures, considered a great honour.
Indigenous land-rights activist Eddie Koiki Mabo was heavily involved in the organisation of the 1988 festival held in Townsville, working as Community Arts Officer with the Department of Aboriginal Affairs.
2008 FestPAC in American Samoa The 10th Festival of Pacific Arts was hosted by American Samoa from 20 July to 2 August 2008. The official web site of the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts. About 2,000 artists attended the 2008 Festival of Pacific Arts from these participating countries: American Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Easter Island, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna. Taiwan was allowed to send a delegation of 80 performers and artists, most of whom were Taiwanese aborigines, to the Festival of Pacific Arts for the first time in 2008.
2012 FestPAC in Solomon Islands Doreen Kuper was the Chair of the Festival of Pacific Arts that was held in Honiara in 2012. The festival attracted an audience of 200,000 people, with 3,000 performers from twenty-four countries taking part. During her time as Chair, Kuper led calls for the repatriation of art and artefacts to the Solomon Islands from non-Pacific countries.
2024 FestPAC in Hawaii The 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture convened in Hawaii in June 2024. "Ho‘oulu Lāhui: Regenerating Oceania" served as the theme of FestPAC Hawaiʻi 2024, honouring the traditions that FestPAC exists to perpetuate with an eye toward the future.
In 2018, the Hawaii State Legislature appointed a temporary commission to oversee the planning and implementation of FestPAC Hawaii. Its nine members, appointed by the Governor, state lawmakers and officials, represented the culture, spirit and heart of Hawaiʻi. Many have experienced the power of FestPAC first hand over the years.
Locations Iteration Year Dates Location Theme and notes 1st 1972 6–20 May Suva, Fiji "Preserving culture" 2nd 1976 6–13 March Rotorua, New Zealand "Sharing culture" 3rd 1980 30 June–12 July Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea "Pacific awareness" 4th 1985 Mentions the festival location and date had to be changed due to 1984 political instability in New Caledonia which was originally planned to host. 29 June–15 July Tahiti, French Polynesia "My Pacific" 5th 1988 14–24 August Townsville, Australia "Cultural interchange" In this year, Aboriginal Australian playwright and screenwriter Bob Merritt was chair. 6th 1992 16–27 October Rarotonga, Cook Islands "Seafaring heritage" A scholarly paper about the symbolism of voyaging canoes. 7th 1996 8–23 September Apia, Western Samoa "Tala Measina" 8th 2000 23 October–3 November Nouméa, New Caledonia "Words of past, present, future" 9th 2004 22–31 July Koror, Palau "Oltobed a Malt – Nurture, Regenerate, Celebrate" Although access to the full article is restricted through Project MUSE, the free synopsis is useful. 10th 2008 20 July–2 August Pago Pago, American Samoa "Suʻigaʻula a le Atuvasa: Threading the Oceania ʻUla" 11th 2012 1–14 July Honiara, Solomon Islands "Culture in Harmony with Nature" 12th 2016 22 May–4 June Hagåtña, Guam "What We Own, What We Have, What We Share, United Voices of the PACIFIC" ~ "Håfa Iyo-ta, Håfa Guinahå-ta, Håfa Ta Påtte, Dinanña’ Sunidu Siha Giya PASIFIKU"— 2020 10–21 JuneHonolulu, Hawaii Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic 13th 2024 6–16 June "Hoʻoulu Lāhui: Regenerating Oceania" 14th 2028 12-23 June Nouméa, New Caledonia TBD
See also Austronesian peoples Pasifika Festival, annual one-day Polynesian festival in March, attracting up to 200,000 in Auckland, New Zealand Bernice P. Bishop Museum, in Honolulu, houses the world's largest collection of Polynesian artifacts. It is also known as the Hawaiʻi State Museum of Natural and Cultural History. Pacific Islands for Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia groupings synopsis. Artists from Hawaii (links to Hawaiian artists category) List of Hawaiian cultural topics (links to Hawaiian culture category) New Zealand artists (links to New Zealand artists category) Hawaiian Renaissance History of Indigenous Australians History of the Pacific Islands
References
External links Festival of Pacific Arts web site (redirects to current host site) Pacific Arts Association website An independent association devoted to the study of all the arts of Oceania. Pacific Arts Alliance Host of First Artists' Forum at the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts Pacific Community web site has Organizational and support information Frommer's Event Guide
2016 Guam Festival of Pacific Arts website