Destination: Fiji

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Festivals & Events

Fijians love to celebrate and barely need a reason to do so. The country’s festivals calendar is enhanced by two distinct cultures and the following are 10 reasons to get stuck into it.

Hindu Holi (Festival of Colours; nationwide) February or March
Ram Naumi (Birth of Lord Rama; Suva) March or April
Bula Festival (Nadi) July
Hibiscus Festival (Suva) August
Hindu Ritual Fire Walking (nationwide) August
Fiji Regatta Week (Musket Cove) September
Lautoka’s Sugar Festival (Lautoka) September
Ram Leela (Play of Rama; Labasa) October
Diwali Festival (Festival of Lights; nationwide) Late October or early to mid-November
South Pacific World Music Festival (Savusavu) November

Must-See Flicks

One of the best ways to stoke your enthusiasm for a trip is to get an eyeful of the scenery and a mindset of the culture. Although Fiji hasn’t exactly been the target of many films, the following were filmed, if not also set here. They range from the outstanding, award-winning The Land Has Eyes, to the swashbuckling, tacky iconic and plain ridiculous.

The Land Has Eyes (2004) directed by Vilsoni Hereniko
Coral Reef Adventure (2002) distributed by Macgillivray Freeman
Flynn (1993) directed by Frank Howson
Cast Away (2000) directed by Robert Zemeckis
Mr Robinson Crusoe (1932) directed by Edward Sutherland
The Blue Lagoon (1979) directed by Randal Kleiser
The Dove (1974) directed by Charles Jarrott
Savage Islands (1983) directed by Ferdinand Fairfax
His Majesty’s O’Keefe (1953) directed by Byron Haskin
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004) directed by Dwight Little

DIY Cultural Experiences

Plenty of travellers come to Fiji on package holidays to avoid having to think too hard about how to enjoy what the country has to offer. But delving into the real Fiji on your own is so easy it requires minimal effort and brain cells. Below are some of the best cultural experiences to be had in this archipelago; all are unmissable.

Visiting a village
Watching a meke
Drinking kava
Witnessing fire walking
Eating at a lovo
Rafting on a bilibili
Offering sevusevu
Appreciating a Hindu temple
Catching a rugby match
Shopping for souvenirs and saris

Travelling to Fiji?
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