Fest'Napuan Music Festival
Photos courtesy of Mark Lowen; and vanuatumusic.com. See credits below under Practical information
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| Country and Region | Vanuatu — Shéfa |
|---|---|
| Type of Festival | Music |
| Location of Festival | Port Vila, Shéfa, Vanuatu |
| Festival Contact Information | Phone: 678-774-3532 |
| Festival Description | The annual Fest’Napuan event is now the biggest event held in Vanuatu each year, last year attracting around 40,000 people over 5 nights. It is also now one of the most important regional cultural events held in the Pacific Islands. To date, it has featured musical artists from Japan, Samoa, Tonga, Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, West Papua, Rapa Nui (Easter Island), the Solomon Islands, the Fiji Islands, Papua New Guinea and Maluku (the Molucca’s). The Fest’Napuan’s regional significance has been recognised by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which has broadcast the Fest’Napuan live to the Pacific region over its Radio Australia network since 2004, and whose “Pacific Break” competition offers a slot at the Fest’Napuan as the first prize for the best unsigned artist in the South Pacific. The opportunities for cultural exchange and networking that have resulted from the Fest’Napuan have provided significant opportunities for artists in all participating countries as well as to Vanuatu artists. Each year the Fest’Napuan is organised by its own committee, all of whom are volunteers. The committee comprises mostly young people, many of who are musicians themselves and many of whom are unemployed. Their participation in the organising committee provides them with skills and experience in office management, administration, logistics and organisation that greatly improves their prospects for later employment. Many have found gainful employment afterwards. Festival Nalenga is the sister festival to Fest’Napuan and takes place over one day to showcase the local string bands. For more information visit http://kadmusarts.com/festivals/7372.html. |
| Festival Dates | September 27 - 29, 2012 |
| Festival Links | http://www.festnapuan.org |
Festival Story:
The first Fest’Napuan was organised in 1996 by the Vanuatu Cultural Centre to commemorate the second National Day of Culture—November 17th. Fest’Napuan 1996 was staged in front of the National Museum building, in the purpose-built amphitheatre of the National Cultural Complex, which has now become the event’s home. The name ‘Fest’Napuan’ is a combination of two words, the word ‘festival’ from English and French, and the word ‘napuan’ from one of the languages of the island of Tanna, which means music and dance.
The aims of the Fest’Napuan Association, the legal entity that runs the event, are broader than simply staging this concert, however — the Association aims to generally promote the development of contemporary music in Vanuatu by: providing young people in music groups with the chance to perform in front of a large audience and access to greater public exposure; providing young people in music groups and aspiring musicians with exposure to other bands and other types of music; encouraging Government and private sponsors to recognise and support Vanuatu’s contemporary musicians; providing five nights of free top-quality musical entertainment for the people of Port Vila (and the rest of the country) performed by a broad cross-section of local groups and special overseas acts.
Other Sources:
Want more? Click on a color — travel and explore. 
Videos:
- Alcina Charlie & Erin Gilbert at Fest’Napuan Music Festival 2010, Port-Vila Vanuatu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWrIC5CS9Sk
Practical Info:
Slideshow photo credits:
- In order of appearance
- Alcina Charlie & Erin Gilbert, by Mark Lowen
- Ben Siro, by Mark Lowen
- Fetika, by Mark Lowen
- Marcel, by Mark Lowen
- Alcina Charlie & Erin Gilbert, vanuatumusic.com
- Duet, vanuatumusic.com
- Solo, vanuatumusic.com
- Festive image, by Mark Lowen
Venue:
- Saralana
Port Vila
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