The mother of all festival is making its return after five years, since it was last held in 2018.

Special Administrator for the Suva City Council and Chair of the Hibiscus Standing Committee Opetaia Ravai says the festival will focus solely on the glamour of what the Hibiscus festival was known for back in the days.

“This festival aims to revive the glamour and excitement of yester-years, bringing back cherished memories of cultural programs and vibrant contestant’s engagements”, Ravai said.

“Coming back to the glamour of Hibiscus, especially the float procession, this will not be designed any how. We will have a committee that will look at this to reflect the Suva City, the environment and the people”, he added.

The Miss Hibiscus this year will only have one category, and that is the Queens category.

This significant change is part of the vision to bring back the 68 year old history of the pageant.

“In the last few years of the festival we noticed that most have forgotten about the Queens, they focuses a lot on the other categories, the teens, and Kings and Adi Senikau. This year it will be just one category and we will develop Hibiscus that way”, Ravai said.

He said they are looking at a minimum of ten Queen contestants this year, with more to be announced soon.

“From Saturday 31st August to Saturday 7th September, the refurbish Ratu Sukuna Park and the Suva Foreshore will come alive with the spirit of festivity and comradery that defines the Hibiscus Festival”, he added.

The slogan for the festival this year is: “Where beauty blooms, Suva shines”.

The week long festival promises a dazzling array of programs designed to showcase and promote Suva as a premier destination.

The festival will spotlight Suva’s bustling retail businesses, and cultural scene.

The programs will be launched in the coming weeks, which will highlight all lineup of events, including performances, and showcases that will promote Suva’s creativity, the SME’s, retailers, fashion designers, food establishments, and our cultural heritage.

The Hibiscus Festival will be held from the 31st of August to the 7th of September this year.