Covid-19: Twice-cancelled Pasifika Festival hoped to go ahead in 2021

Tuesday, 16 February 2021

Organisers of Auckland’s Pasifika Festival say planning for the event will continue as they wait for updates from health authorities.

The annual festival was cancelled twice in 2019 and 2020 following the Christchurch terror attack and the first coronavirus lockdown.

The Pasifika Festival features cultural performances, craft and food from Aotearoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Hawai’i, Kiribati, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu.

It attracts more than 60,000 visitors.

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This year’s festival is planned to take place on March 13-14 at Western Springs in Auckland.

A spokesman said the event can only go ahead in alert level 1.

Auckland is currently in level 3 after three community cases were detected in Papatoetoe.

The rest of New Zealand is in level 2.

In 2020, the festival was cancelled just a day before it was scheduled to take place.

“At this stage, planning continues while we await further updates from the Ministry of Health,” he said.

“The health and safety of the community and everyone involved in the delivery of the event is our top priority.”

Each Pacific country is represented by a team of performers, artisans and cooks, who have their own village on the grounds, selling crafts and food, and performing.

In 2020, more than 400 local and international performers were scheduled to take part.

Organisers say they will provide more updates on the event as it comes to hand.