AN eight-day cultural arts festival planned for next month will be the first of its kind for Fiji, organiser The Festivals Company said. The Fiji Fringe Festival will be similar to the world’s largest arts and media festival — The Edinburgh Festival Fringe — and will feature over 100 local artists and 30 shows featuring local and international entertainers. Company director Sharleen Ali said it would be held in partnership with the Fiji Sports Council.
She first learnt about the global Fringe Festival while dancing for Vou Fiji. “After I came into the event management field, I wanted to do something for the artists because I’ve always been passionate about arts,” Ms Ali said.
“And I felt like there was nothing in Fiji that brought together a broad spectrum of artists like musicians, dancers and everyone with a creative streak. “I’ve been talking to the artists for about eight to 10 months now and we are finalising all the contracts and everything and by next week we’re going to be releasing our full 30-show schedule. “We’ve got foods, rides, ticketed shows and free shows and there’s something for everyone.”
FSC communications officer Mere Tuqiri said they were excited for this partnership with Ms Ali in engaging local artists across a range of artistic fields. “While our core business is venue management for sporting agencies, the FSC is keen to explore new horizons, share and engage with entities that are at the forefront of their field,” she said.
“That being said, the Festivals Company is contributing to creating opportunities for future artisans who will showcase their trade on the week of the event and in doing this promote a culture of appreciation.
“We acknowledge the individuals and various institutions who have continued to promote arts in Fiji. “We anticipate this event will be an annual feature on our Fiji Sports Council calendar.”
The venues of the eight-day event will be the FSC car park, Vodafone arena and car park, FMF gymnasium and the south hall of the Vodafone Arena. Other entertainments include magic shows from Los Angeles magician Jordan Rocks, poetry curated by Peter Capelli, a play by Larry Thomas called The Accident along with 20 multinational food stalls, visual arts and crafts stalls for masi making, weaving, pottery and such. The event will be from February 25 to March 4, 2023 and ticket prices range from $5 to $50 depending on the show.
