For 70 years, the Hibiscus Festival has brought colour, creativity and celebration to the streets of Suva. And while much has changed since the first festival in 1956, two traditions have remained at the heart of Hibiscus – the crowning of Miss Hibiscus and the much-loved float parade.
Through the decades, Hibiscus Queens have worn a variety of crowns and tiaras, each reflecting the fashion and style of its era. Earlier crowns were often larger and more ceremonial, while later years introduced more contemporary, sparkling tiaras. Beyond their beauty, however, each has represented the honour and responsibility of becoming Miss Hibiscus and joining a sisterhood stretching back to inaugural Queen Liebling Marlow, later Liebling Hoeflich.
For the historic 70th FMF Hibiscus Festival, that tradition will continue with a tiara created especially for the occasion.
The 2026 Miss Hibiscus will wear a cubic zirconia tiara customised with beautiful pearls generously donated by JHunter Pearls of Savusavu, giving this year’s piece a distinctly Fijian touch.
Festival director Ellen Whippy-Knight said the team wanted the tiara to reflect the significance of the anniversary.
“For our 70th anniversary, we wanted the Miss Hibiscus tiara to be more than simply something beautiful. We are taking a gorgeous cubic zirconia tiara and customising it with beautiful pearls kindly donated by JHunter Pearls in Savusavu. It gives the piece a special Fijian connection and means our Miss Hibiscus 2026 will wear something created specifically for this historic year”.
Just as iconic as the crown are the Hibiscus floats.
Floats have been part of the festival since its earliest years, transforming Suva’s streets into a moving showcase of imagination. Historical Hibiscus parades have featured everything from giant telephones and globes to elaborate cultural displays.
Among the memorable creations was the 1976 Fiji Times and Herald desert-island float, complete with a real coconut tree, while Carpenters created a giant pearl shell. In 1997, Pasifika Communications’ spectacular canoe-shaped float, accompanied by drums and tamure dancing, won Best Overall Float and became another standout in Hibiscus history.
This year, organisers want to bring that same level of imagination back to the streets.
One of the key judging criteria for the 2026 float parade is that every float must be created from scratch, challenging sponsors and teams to move beyond simple decoration and instead build something original.
Adding to the excitement will be a judging panel drawn from Fiji’s arts industry – Lambert Ho, Zelda Thomas and Sipiriano Nemani – who will be looking for creativity, craftsmanship, originality and the ability to turn an idea into a memorable moving spectacle.
The challenge is simple: make something Suva will remember.
As Hibiscus celebrates 70 years, there is something fitting about returning to the traditions that helped make the festival famous. The crowns may have changed, the floats may have evolved and Suva itself may look very different from 1956, but the excitement remains.
And this year, as another handmade float captures the imagination of the crowd and another Miss Hibiscus receives her specially customised pearl tiara, a new chapter will be added to seven decades of Hibiscus history.
