Volunteer Ambassadors Needed
NaHHA seeks the support of Native Hawaiian community groups and organizations with a Native Hawaiian focus as volunteers to serve as Ambassadors of Hawaiʻi to support the various aspects of the 2024 Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture. We are also seeking Visitor Industry Professionals with customer service expertise and concierge experience for specialized volunteer roles. Members of the general public are also encouraged to serve.
Recruitment of 300 volunteers is anticipated.
Student groups are welcomed however, special arrangements must be made in advance directly with NaHHA for any volunteers that are minors under the age of 18.
Since its inception, FestPAC has been hosted by different Pacific Island nations on a rotational basis. Each host country takes on the responsibility of organizing and hosting the Festival, providing a unique opportunity to showcase their own culture and hospitality. Host nations have all played a pivotal role in the Festival's success. They have worked tirelessly to create a welcoming and vibrant atmosphere for artists and visitors alike, ensuring that FestPAC remains a foundation of cultural exchange and celebration in the Pacific.
Once regisered as a volunteer, you can sign up for training. A two-part training program is required as a prerequisite for all Volunteers
Part 1 - Hoʻokamaʻāina
This course is designed to share the foundational values of hosting in Hawaiʻi and is a prerequisite course for other training modules that NaHHA offers. Hoʻokamaʻāina offers an introduction to the core values of hosting in Hawaiʻi and includes deep-dives into the values of aloha, hoʻokipa and kuleana to foster a sense of belonging, encourage personal initiative, and build a collective knowledge of the history of place. This familiarity training will allow participants to grow their relationship with Hawaiʻi in a responsible way.
Part 2 - Cultural Etiquette In The Pacific
The diversity of this region requires that our volunteers are equipped with relevant competencies and knowledge, including of 28 member delegations of Pacific peoples and their cultures. This can take us a long way towards building reciprocal relationships and strengthening our engagement and communications with FestPAC attendees. This training will assist volunteers in communicating and presenting themselves in ways that are culturally appropriate, including the sharing of ideas and experience, and will facilitate a deeper understanding of how Pacific societies operate.
Parking Map
for In-Person Volunteer Training Days
Parking instructions: Metered Parking rates $1.50 per hour and are located all along S. King Street walking distance to the Mission Memorial Auditorium. The closest parking is the Civic Center lot (Saturdays here are FREE) located at 1130 Alapai Street and is accessible on the Ewa side of Alapai Street located directly across from the Alapai Bus Transit Station or from S. Beretania Blvd. It is a covered lot and has about 72 public stalls. It is metered which takes quarters and credit cards and has a max parking of 3 hours and a 6ʻ6" clearance. There are also a handful of electric plug in stations. Other parking suggestions are the Bureau of Conveyances visitor parking stalls, street parking fronting ʻIolani Palace, and street and lot parking at the U.S. Post Office on S. King Street and other public parking can be found all long S. King Street and in adjacent side streets.
Hawaiʻi to host the Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture in Hawaiʻi for the first time.
The Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture (FestPAC) is the world’s largest celebration of indigenous Pacific Islanders. The South Pacific Commission (now The Pacific Community - SPC) launched this dynamic showcase of arts and culture in 1972 to halt the erosion of traditional practices through ongoing cultural exchange. The 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture, will convene in Hawaiʻi June 6–16, 2024.
Vision
We envision Oceania united by the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture, grounded in traditional practices, and guided by our ancestral values as we continue to innovate and rise to the challenges of an ever-changing world.
Mission
Through hosting the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture, we will strengthen the physical and cultural resilience of our peoples and communities by cultivating connections throughout Oceania to share culture and practices, to learn and grow, to adapt to a changing climate, and to elevate our peoples together.
FestPAC offers delegations opportunities to share their culture with Pacific cousins, like this ʻohe hano ihu lesson in New Caledonia in 2000. Photo: Kīhei de Silva
The Hawaiʻi delegation performs at the 2008 FestPAC in New Caledonia. Photo: Kīhei de Silva
Originally scheduled to take place in 2020, FestPAC was the first major festival in Hawaiʻi to be postponed as the COVID-19 pandemic grew. The early decision was made out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of Hawaiʻi residents, as well as visiting delegations.
The 2024 date maintains the four-year cycle of festivals while maximizing the opportunity for delegations to participate as their own Pacific island nations recover from the economic and social impacts of the pandemic.
Theme & Logo
“Ho‘oulu Lāhui: Regenerating Oceania” will serve as the theme of FestPAC Hawaiʻi 2024, honoring the traditions that FestPAC exists to perpetuate with an eye toward the future.
As Hawaiʻi hosts FestPAC for the first time, the FestPAC Hawaiʻi 2024 logo is a homecoming. Designed by Kīhei de Silva for the 8th Festival of Pacifc Arts in 2000, the petroglyph design has been used by the Hawaiʻi delegation for the last five festivals: New Caledonia, Republic of Palau, American Sāmoa , the Solomon Islands, and Guam.
NaHHA has provided Hawaiian language translation support to the official state commission and is currently responsible for the Volunteer Management of the Festival.
For more information or to get in touch with the Festival planning team please email contact@pacificartsandculture.org