The Celebrate Micronesia Festival serves as a day for Micronesians living in Hawaii to come together and to share their cultures with others who may not be as familiar.
The annual festival will take place on Saturday, May 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Bishop Museum. This year’s festival theme is ‘Navigating Forward.’
A diverse region in the Pacific Ocean, Micronesia includes the Republic of Palau, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Guåhan (Guam), Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Kiribati and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
The festival showcases traditional and contemporary art, dance, fashion, food, stories, poetry and music from Micronesia.
In an interview with Spectrum News last year, Vicky Jade Lukan, who is from Yap, described CMF as an opportunity to see people dressed in their different cultural attire, eat Micronesian foods, watch dance performances, and take part in weaving demonstrations.
“The Micronesians, who go there to represent their cultures, they’re always so happy. A large part of the experience for me is seeing them so happy to perform their cultural dance, like they do it smiling. Sometimes they walk up to the stage dancing. I think there’s something special to take out of that about what it means to feel celebrated or to celebrate yourself safely,” said Lukan.
The event is $5 for kamaʻāina and military, and free for Bishop Museum Members. In order to register and see a full lineup of events, click here.
The Celebrate Micronesia Festival is held in partnership with the Pacific Islands Development Program at East-West Center, the Center for Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and leaders from Micronesian communities across Hawaii.
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.