The Nadi Bula Festival was first organised by some businessmen in Nadi 56 years ago and since then it has become part of Nadi’s culture and tradition. It provides a venue for the people of Nadi and its visitors to come together and enjoy festivities provided by what was then the Nadi Bula Association but now called the Nadi Bula Festival Trust.
Each year the Bula Trust identifies a theme and a project that would allow festivity, charity work and educational support to go hand in hand.
Past charities included projects where the Nadi Bula Festival through Project 91 raised more than $1 million to kick start the building of the Nadi Hospital and assisted the Nadi Town Council in completing the Nadi Civic Centre with user pay toilets at the centre and also provided cash contribution towards the upgrade of the Nadi library.
In 2010, we were requested by the Nadi Special School board to complete the building of the hearing and speech impaired clinic at the Nadi Special School, which is now being used by adults too.
Some years back I recalled that there was free medicine to the people of Nadi, who cannot afford to pay for their medicine. We renovated and refurbished some of the rooms in the Nadi Hospital and named it after one of our past president the Mr Vasu Room and we were able to renovate the Namaka Dispensary too. We got the chance to kick start the fencing of the Nadi Hospital which was later completed by Government.
We did charity donation and contributed to FENC Fiji for schoolchildren’s needs and last year we donated desks and books to a primary school in Rakiraki and assisted medical evacuation patients of Nadi who needed our help. We supported burnt home victims in Nadi and the underprivileged that were affected during the flood periods.
Education included primary and secondary schools in Nadi, taking part in oratory contest, cultural items and children’s day activity.
Our young ladies vying for the Bula Crown are trained, in public speaking, to advocate in what they believe in, deportment, grooming and to be confident when facing the crowd.
This helped the young ladies build their confidence and to face the world in a male dominated career. These young ladies register their interests with the festival committee and the committee searches for their sponsors and request the business houses of Nadi to be part of the Nadi Bula Festival by sponsoring a contestant.
The theme for this year is “Climate Change Transition starts with you”. We need to have a clean environment to reduce carbon emissions from the atmosphere and planting trees will limit the depleting of the ozone layer, and will protect the environment.
We the people of Nadi and Fiji, it all starts with us, as children, parents, grandparents, friends and families. Let us hold hands together and save our environment by planting a tree.
Nadi will launch a Plastic Free Environment, during the PPSEAWA (Pan Pacific South East Asia Women Association) women cultural and training show for three days on July 26, 27, and 28 at the Nair Dias opposite the market.
Shoppers are encouraged to buy bags that are not plastic because if plastic bags end up in the ocean they can be a threat to turtles and our marine eco system. Let us appreciate and take care of the environment that God has given us.
This year will be the 57th year of the Nadi Bula Festival Trust in organising the Bula Festival in Nadi. We would like to thank our past life members, trustees, presidents, and members. Some members have passed on and some have migrated overseas and we are grateful towards our faithful sponsors.
This time we invite the tourism sector and business houses of Nadi to come and be part of our Nadi festival which will bring the community together. Let us continue with the legacy by producing the only unbroken Festival in Fiji.
We would like to thank all hardworking volunteers, and executives for working tirelessly and putting together a festival program for the Nadi community.
Our gratitude goes towards our faithful sponsors, that have been with Bula all this years and once said by a prophet “Man are that they might have Joy” in difficulties that we face every day, we hope and pray this one week of festivity will bring joy and happiness to each and every one of us in Nadi.
