Culture, colour and cuisine celebrated at Wellington’s annual Pasifika Festival

Thousands turned out to celebrate the colour, culture and cuisine of the great Pacific at Wellington’s annual Pasifika Festival.

Event organiser Suzanne Tamaki said the festival was “amazing”, with lots of people turning out- despite the blustery weather conditions.

“The weather wasn’t so fantastic but it didn’t put anyone off coming down. It was still really packed, and we tried a new layout for the festival and it seemed to be really popular.”

This year, there were 28 stalls, a record number. The event ran through the afternoon and early evening at Odlins Plaza on Wellington’s waterfront. All up, Tamaki reckoned about 10,000 Wellingtonians ventured down to enjoy the festivities.

“In the morning when we were setting up it was spitting a little bit, and windy, and then when it started it was just overcast, which was great. At 6pm it started spitting again, so the weather’s been quite kind. It stayed nice for the period while the festival was open.”

For Tamaki, the festival represented the sharing of Pacific culture.

“Also, giving Wellington a sense of pride in Pacific communities and appreciating what it is they give to us.”

Wellington had a large Pacific community, but it was “quite spread out” in the wider region, Tamaki said.

“It’s a great opportunity to bring all those different Pacific people into one place and acknowledge these communities, and appreciate all the colour and flavour and culture they add to Wellington and to our reputation as a cultural capital.”

Source and More Info: https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/culture/110041288/culture-colour-and-cuisine-celebrated-at-wellingtons-annual-pasifika-festival

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