During this weekend, San Diego’s big annual Pacific Islander Festival was held at Ski Beach in Mission Bay.
Thousands turned out to celebrate the traditional cultures of the indigenous peoples of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. It’s the largest, most attended Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander festival in the United States!
As you can see from my photos, a huge audience sitting on the grass enjoyed San Diego’s warm sunshine and lots of traditional island dances, costumes and music. There was a fantastic selection of food, vendors everywhere, and, most interesting to me, an assortment of booths boosting tourism with fascinating cultural displays.
All those islands–all their culture–all that vibrant life– There was so much to absorb during my visit!
Did you miss this amazing, free, family-friendly event? I hope these photographs inspire you to go next year…
Does the above watercraft appear familiar? It’s a model of the ocean-going outrigger canoe Sakman.
Perhaps you recall seeing Sakman years ago during its stay in San Diego. See a couple of photos here.
I learned a documentary film is being produced titled Sakman: The Legend of The Flying Canoe. It follows the creation of the Sakman Che’lu, a 50ft. vessel built by a group of retirees in San Diego, CA. Despite being first-time builders and sailors, they courageously recreate this magnificent canoe, 6,000 miles away from their island home. Check out the film’s website here!
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