An itinerant festival
The arts festival, which aims to promote Marquesan culture, was held for the first time in 1986. Originally staged every four years, it is now a biennial event, alternating between the six inhabited islands in the Marquesas Islands: Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa and Ua Pou, being the biggest, and Ua Huka, Tahuata and Fatu Hiva the three smaller islands. In the bigger islands, the festival welcomes as many as 1,600 participants from the Marquesas Islands and the rest of Polynesian triangle. The beginning of the festival is announced by the arrival of a twin-hulled sailing canoe. The start of a voyage back in time to keep alive the rich cultural heritage of the Marquesas Islands.
