A traditional dance is performed during a previous Yap Day celebration.
Visitors enjoy Yap Day 2024 celebrations.
(Yap Visitors Bureau) — The 56th Annual Yap Day Festival will be held in the villages of Rull and Weloy from Feb. 26 to March 3, 2025. Yap Day is one of the premier and largest cultural events in all of Micronesia, and this year’s event will again showcase and celebrate everything Yapese — traditions, culture, heritage, food, family, and community.
While the celebrations on Feb. 28 and March 1 will be the centerpiece of the event, the surrounding days will also provide rich cultural experiences for all attendees. The festival begins on Wednesday, Feb. 26, with an opening ceremony at 4 p.m. showcasing traditional dance performances, local arts, handicrafts displays, and traditional food. The activities continue the next day at that same time with an arts and crafts exhibition, live entertainment and more traditional dance. During this build up to the official Yap Day Celebrations, there will be traditional navigation activities, ocean sports, and guided island tours.
The official Yap Day celebrations will start at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 28 with the traditional seating of chiefs and dignitaries. Following this will be the ceremonial blowing of the conch shell, the arrival of the Canoe WAAB, and the traditional presentations of stone money. Throughout the rest of the day there will be an array of traditional dances, weaving demonstrations, and cultural skill demonstrations. On Saturday, March 1, the celebrations will continue with speeches from local leaders, cultural performances, and more showcasing of Yapese traditions. Highlights will include the presentation of competition prizes, tug of war, and the passing of the torch ceremony for Yap Day celebrations 2026.
More information on the 2025 Yap Day Festival and on traveling to Yap, go to www.visityap.com or contact the Yap Visitors Bureau.
About Yap
Yap is an island in the Federated States of Micronesia, in the Pacific Ocean that is ringed by spectacular coral reefs and famous for its scuba diving with giant manta rays, sharks and mandarin fish. Other key activities on the island include kayaking, hiking, deep-sea fishing and exploring the many World War II historical sites. Yap is also uniquely famous for its stone money (huge disks of stone, which are still used today in major transactions), strong traditional culture and way of life, and welcoming residents. Just a short flight away from Guam or Palau, this Pacific gem is one of the tourism industry’s best kept secrets. For more information on visiting Yap go to www.visityap.com/.
