SEVENTY years on, the Hibiscus Festival is set to reclaim its roots at Albert Park as it returns this August with a promise of bigger crowds, renewed energy and a celebration befitting its historic milestone.
The week-long event, from August 29 to September 5, will once again light up Suva, bringing together families, businesses and communities during the school holidays.
Festival chairman Dr John Fatiaki said the return to Albert Park was both a nod to tradition and a practical move to cater for growing crowds.
“Of those of you who remember hibiscus over the years, it was always at Albert Park so we brought it back to Albert Park,” he said.
“Now we have a stadium of a thousand seats and the ground, where we can accommodate so many more people, because of the adverse weather that Suva has, a thousand people in here are immediately sheltered, so we thought to bring hibiscus back where it belongs.”
First held in 1956, the festival remains Fiji’s largest and longest-running community event, celebrating culture, unity and creativity.
Major sponsor FMF Foods Ltd has returned for a second year, while Ellen Whippy-Knight leads the organising team alongside Fiji Fashion Week.
Key attractions will include the float parade, Miss Hibiscus Pageant and the crowning night at the Grand Pacific Hotel.
