Pasifika Festival in the Bay 2024

Pasifika in the Bay Trust is a group of passionate Pacific educators dedicated to raising the Pacific profile in the Bay and to promote the Pacific identities, languages and cultures within our ECE and school communities.

Pasifika in the Bay began in 2015 when a small group of Pacific teachers within the Bay of Plenty area connected with the vision to raise Pacific achievement within the school system by giving students a platform to showcase their culture. The Pasifika in the Bay Trust was formed in 2018 to support the Pasifika Festival.

Cultural performance groups from schools around the Bay have been practicing hard ahead of the big day that will see up to 35 groups take the outdoor stage in vibrant traditional costumes, representing nations from all over the Pacific; including Tokelau, Niue, Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, Kiribati, Fiji and more. Alongside performances will be Pacific market style stalls packed with authentic foods from the islands to tempt the taste buds. In 2022, organisers of the festival made the decision to move it from a weekday to Saturday, which saw record numbers of attendees. Support from Creative New Zealand has also contributed to the festival's ability to grow.

This year's festival will be held in Katikati, a charming, sunny town near Tauranga, and known for its heritage, murals, avocados and kiwifruit. The Pasifika Festival will be held at Katikati College, 33 Beach Road, Katikati on Saturday 2 November 2024, with a postponement date on Saturday 9 November 2024. The event will commence at 9:30am with Mihi Whakatau, then at 10:00am with performances commencing and finishing at approximately 4:30pm. For the first time, this year's event is a Gold Coin Entry.

We look forward to seeing all our communities at the festival and anticipate that everyone will have a fabulous time.