Taste Of Pasifika Festival Launches In Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland This June

Auckland Unlimited is excited to announce Taste of Pasifika Festival 2022 will be warming up winter in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland for three weekends this June.

Launching at The Cloud on Queen’s Birthday Weekend, Taste of Pasifika Festival is a reimagining of the much-loved annual Pasifika Festival, scheduled to take place in March at Western Springs but cancelled due to the pandemic.

Taking the best of Pasifika Festival and a programme of new and innovative events, Taste of Pasifika will celebrate and share the vibrant cultures of 10 Pacific nations through an original mix of cultural performance, food, art, fashion, sport and wellness, and lots of soul.

Kicking off with a star-studded line-up of performers at the Taste of Pasifika Showcase on Friday 3 June, the Festival will span the long weekend at the Auckland waterfront before heading to the Vodafone Events Centre (11 June), Auckland Zoo (18 June), and Mt Smart Stadium (12 & 19 June), where a suite of unique events including Hot Hula, Sunday Soul Sessions, and the Big Step Up led by Dave Letele (The Brown Buttabean) will be happening.

Auckland Unlimited Director of Arts, Entertainment and Events, Richard Clarke, says Taste of Pasifika is an exciting development for the Pasifika Festival, which is one of Auckland’s longest running cultural events and is now in its 30th year.

“After the March festival was cancelled, we remained hopeful we would still be able to deliver an event that offered the essence of Pasifika in a way that was suited to the current environment,” says Richard Clarke.

“The desire from the Pacific community for the event to proceed in some form was also strong, and has been a key driver in the reimagining of the much-loved Festival in a safe and generous embrace of culture and celebration.”

Auckland Unlimited Taste of Pasifika Festival producer, Torise Flay, agrees.

“At its core Taste of Pasfika Festival showcases and applauds the unique influence and identity of Pasifika peoples whose histories, creativity and leadership have contributed to the unmistakable richness of Tāmaki Makaurau.

“It is a privilege to tell their stories, and share their passion for their cultures, whānau and communities.”

The full Taste of Pasifika Festival 2022 programme will be announced in May.

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