Pasifika Festival in the Bay

Now into its tenth year, the annual Pasifika Festival in the Bay, is a vibrant celebration of the unique cultures of the Pacific Islands through dance and food, with a focus on the younger generation. This year, the festival will be held at Katikati College, with the local college as this year's host. It will take place on a Saturday the 2nd of November 2024 starting at 10am.

Cultural performance groups from up to 35 schools around the Bay will be practicing hard ahead of the big day that will see nearly forty 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.

Pasifika in the Bay began in 2015 when a small group of Pasifika teachers within the Bay of Plenty area connected with the vision to raise Pasifika 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 Festival.