Volunteer Ambassadors Needed
NaHHA seeks the support of Native Hawaiian community groups and organizations with a Native Hawaiian focus as volunteers to serve as Ambassadors of Hawaiʻi to support the various aspects of the 2024 Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture. Members of the general public are also encouraged to serve. Recruitment of 300 volunteers is anticipated.
We are also seeking Visitor Industry Professionals with customer service expertise and concierge experience for specialized volunteer roles.
Student groups are welcomed however, special arrangements must be made in advance directly with NaHHA for any volunteers that are minors under the age of 18.
NaHHA is also interested in enlisting the support of community groups to spread the word about this volunteer opportunity with other organizations and individuals who meet the criteria.
Since its inception, FestPAC has been hosted by different Pacific Island nations on a rotational basis. Each host country takes on the responsibility of organizing and hosting the Festival, providing a unique opportunity to showcase their own culture and hospitality. Host nations have all played a pivotal role in the Festival's success. They have worked tirelessly to create a welcoming and vibrant atmosphere for artists and visitors alike, ensuring that FestPAC remains a foundation of cultural exchange and celebration in the Pacific.
Hawaiʻi to host the Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture in Hawaiʻi for the first time.
The Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture (FestPAC) is the world’s largest celebration of indigenous Pacific Islanders. The South Pacific Commission (now The Pacific Community - SPC) launched this dynamic showcase of arts and culture in 1972 to halt the erosion of traditional practices through ongoing cultural exchange. The 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture, will convene in Hawaiʻi June 6–16, 2024.
Vision
We envision Oceania united by the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture, grounded in traditional practices, and guided by our ancestral values as we continue to innovate and rise to the challenges of an ever-changing world.
Mission
Through hosting the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture, we will strengthen the physical and cultural resilience of our peoples and communities by cultivating connections throughout Oceania to share culture and practices, to learn and grow, to adapt to a changing climate, and to elevate our peoples together.
FestPAC offers delegations opportunities to share their culture with Pacific cousins, like this ʻohe hano ihu lesson in New Caledonia in 2000. Photo: Kīhei de Silva
The Hawaiʻi delegation performs at the 2008 FestPAC in New Caledonia. Photo: Kīhei de Silva
Originally scheduled to take place in 2020, FestPAC was the first major festival in Hawaiʻi to be postponed as the COVID-19 pandemic grew. The early decision was made out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of Hawaiʻi residents, as well as visiting delegations.
The 2024 date maintains the four-year cycle of festivals while maximizing the opportunity for delegations to participate as their own Pacific island nations recover from the economic and social impacts of the pandemic.
Theme & Logo
“Ho‘oulu Lāhui: Regenerating Oceania” will serve as the theme of FestPAC Hawaiʻi 2024, honoring the traditions that FestPAC exists to perpetuate with an eye toward the future.
As Hawaiʻi hosts FestPAC for the first time, the FestPAC Hawaiʻi 2024 logo is a homecoming. Designed by Kīhei de Silva for the 8th Festival of Pacifc Arts in 2000, the petroglyph design has been used by the Hawaiʻi delegation for the last five festivals: New Caledonia, Republic of Palau, American Sāmoa , the Solomon Islands, and Guam.
NaHHA provides Hawaiian language translation support to the official state commission responsible for the festival.
For more information or to get in touch with the Festival planning team please email contact@pacificartsandculture.org