Covid-19: Auckland's Pasifika Festival postponed to April
Saturday, 6 March 2021
New Zealand’s biggest Pacific event will still go ahead but a month later than originally planned, following the Government's announcement Auckland will remain in level 2 until March 12.
The two-day Pasifika Festival was scheduled for March 13, just a day before Cabinet will consider moving Auckland to level 1.
On Friday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Auckland will drop to alert level 2 on Sunday morning. A move to level 1 will be reviewed on March 12.
The annual festival, which is usually held at Western Springs, was called off twice in 2019 and 2020 due to the Christchurch terror attack and the first coronavirus lockdown.
**READ MORE:
* Covid-19: Raft of weekend events cancelled, postponed despite alert level shift
* Covid-19: Auckland gearing up for big weekend, with events back on in level 1
* Covid-19: Twice-cancelled Pasifika Festival hoped to go ahead in 2021
**
In 2020, the festival was cancelled just a day before it was scheduled to take place.
It will be held this year on April 10 and 11 at Mt Smart Stadium.
“Pasifika is a much-loved festival and an important celebration of Auckland’s vibrant Pacific cultures,” Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said.
“I’m happy that Auckland Unlimited, our Pacific community leaders, organisers and festival stakeholders have been able to work together to confirm a new date.”
Auckland Unlimited spokesman Richard Clarke said there was no guarantee the city would be at level 1 next weekend, and moving the festival to April gave Auckland the best chance to enjoy it.
“Pasifika Festival is a hugely popular celebration of our region’s Pacific communities, and we are determined to give ourselves every opportunity to deliver a great and safe event this year.”
The festival, which attracts more than 60,000 visitors a year, features cultural performances, craft and food from Aotearoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Hawai’i, Kiribati, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu.
This year, Hawaii-based Fijian musician George ‘Fiji’ Veikoso was confirmed to perform on the second day of the festival.