Guam had a delegation of about 100 performers, artists and writers set to attend the festival in June.
In an announcement on Feb. 2, event organizers said the new dates for the event will be announced, in the meantime, they will continue on planning for the international cultural event.
Organizers said the health and safety for Hawai’i residents and for all festival participants take priority. They will continue to monitor developments surrounding Covid-19. Currently, there are no confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Hawai’i, according to the press release.
In 2016, Guam hosted the 12th FESTPAC, which drew a reported 90,000 visitors.
“FESTPAC planning will continue in order to ensure that Hawai’i is prepared to be an outstanding host to our Pacific Island cousins and all who participate in this life-changing event,” said state Sen. J. Kalani English, FESTPAC Hawai’i chairman. “We want to thank all of our sponsors, supporters, and all those who have expressed interest in helping with FESTPAC Hawai’i. Their assistance and ongoing support are critically important because even with this postponement, the festival will come sooner than we think.”
FESTPAC is a traveling festival hosted every four years by a different nation in the Pacific. It was started by the Pacific Community as a means to stem erosion of traditional cultural practices by sharing and exchanging culture at each festival, the release states.
The first South Pacific Arts Festival was held in Fiji in 1972, and the name and participating nations have evolved into the Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture we know today. Only one festival has been postponed since its inception — the 1984 festival slated for New Caledonia was postponed one year and relocated to French Polynesia due to political unrest, the release states.
Updates for FESTPAC Hawai’i will be posted at www.festpachawaii.org.
