Concerns about the spread of coronavirus have led Hawaii to postpone the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture.
Guam's delegation of about 100 performers, artists and writers had been set to attend the festival in June.
In an announcement on March 2, event organizers said new dates for the event will be announced and, in the meantime, the organizers will continue planning for the international cultural event.
Organizers said the health and safety of Hawaii residents and all festival participants take priority. They will continue to monitor developments surrounding the spread of coronavirus, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19. The release added that there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Hawaii.
In 2016, Guam hosted the 12th FestPac, which drew a reported 90,000 visitors.
'Planning will continue'
"FestPac planning will continue in order to ensure that Hawaiʻi is prepared to be an outstanding host to our Pacific island cousins and all who participate in this life-changing event," said Sen. J. Kalani English, chairman of FestPac Hawaiʻi. "We want to thank all of our sponsors, supporters, and all those who have expressed interest in helping with FestPac Hawaiʻi. 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 and Culture we know today. Only one festival has been postponed since its inception, the release states – the 1984 festival slated for New Caledonia was postponed one year and relocated to French Polynesia due to political unrest.
Updates for FestPac Hawaiʻi will be posted at www.festpachawaii.org.
