Logistics committee chairman Parker Yobei told the Variety yesterday that the 20 slots for food vendors had already been taken.
“We were planning to add five more slots but decided to leave it at 20 slots,” Yobei said.
He said 44 artists have registered so far.
The Commonwealth Council for Arts and Culture has 10 slots, and 13 slots were reserved for arts and education.
He said 13 different cultures will showcase their traditional arts during the four-day event.
“It will be a mix of diversified cultures in one place, each demonstrating and teaching their traditional arts to the community,” Yobei said.
He said they expect more spectators for this year’s festival.
“Guam has already confirmed a delegation of more than 200 participants. We are still waiting for confirmation from participants from Yap, Palau, the Marshall Islands and the other islands in Micronesia,” he said.
He said canoes from Palau, Satawal and Guam may be coming over for the festival.
“We cannot confirm this yet because it would depend on the weather if they can make it here,” he said.
This year’s festival theme is “Uniting Rainbows of Culture and Tradition.”
DCCA has reduced the registration fees this year to encourage local artists to continue participating.
Their fee has been reduced from $150 to $100.
The food vendor’s fees was also reduced from $650 to $600 per food station.
There will also be no traditional booth competition this year so as not to put too much pressure on businesses that sponsor the festival.
Yobei, however, said the float competition will still be held. At stake are $500, $300 and $200 in prizes for first, second and third places.
The 28th Flame Tree Arts Festival, Micronesia’s largest annual arts and cultural celebration, is set for April 23-26 at the Susupe Civic Center.
The deadline for registration of booths is on March 27.
For more information, call 322-9982/83.
