HIBISCUS FESTIVAL

Fijians LOVE a good festival. Festivals mean FOOD. FOOD means a sausage, pork chop, 2 eggs, 2 pieces of cassava and salad, all for $5. A heap of oil is also thrown in for free. Festivals also mean rides, amusements, popcorn and "candy floss". It also serves as a great advertising opportunity for local companies by sponsoring festival "Queens" and "Kings". Contestants include: Kings (guys in their 20s or so), Queens (ladies in their 20s or so), Princesses and Princes (teenage contestants) and of course, "Ladys" (who are the more...mature division).

So last week was the Hibiscus Festival. When we first arrived in Fiji in Nadi, we visited Lautoka for the "Sugar" festival. This is it:




The Hibiscus is famous for being the "Mother of all festivals". Or, as my housemate put it: "The sugar festival on steroids":




Pre-requisites for festivals include:
- A line of foodstalls at least 100m long



- Ferris wheels that would probably send you flying to the Suva mud flats if they were to break



- Flying aeroplane rides with "Osama bin BOOM" scrawled across the side



- A float parade:



- A talent contest (one of the kings stated that his talent would be "to play the drums, and then read a poem")



- Rubbish weather (apparently it always rains in the week of Hibiscus)

But most importantly: A CROWNING CEREMONY of the Hibiscus Kings and Queens.



So despite us being a lot poorer, suffering from tooth decay and heart disease, I'd highly recommend the Hibiscus Festival for a lot of fun in the sun, just like this adoring crowd: