
The Samoa Tourism Authority has announced that the Teuila Festival 2025 has been cancelled.
It said the General Election, scheduled for August 29, falls during the same week traditionally designated for the annual Teuila Festival.
The Teuila Festival in Samoa is an annual, week-long, celebration showcasing traditional Samoan arts, music, dance, and sports. First held in 1991, it is named after the national flower, the teuila, or red ginger.
One of the highlights of the Teuila Festival was the fautasi (longboat) races, but these proved too expensive for villages and have not been held for several years now.
At least one village recently launched a new fautasi, sponsored by a local hotel, prompting hopes that other villages might follow suit—but this has not yet happened.
The festival returned in 2023 after cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The annual Miss Samoa beauty pagean, traditionally held to end the festival, has now been scheduled for October.
Photo: Samoa Observer