Next: about 4 to 10 Jul 2027
Heilala Festival
Tonga's festival around the king's birthday, with a float parade, brass bands and the lakalaka dance.
When is Heilala Festival in 2027?
Heilala Festival 2027 runs from 4 to 10 July 2027. The date follows the moon or a local calendar, so it can move by a day. Other years: 2026, 4 to 10 July 2026; 2028, 4 to 10 July 2028.
About Heilala Festival
The Heilala Festival is held in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, each July around the birthday of the king, which falls on 4 July. It is named after the heilala, a sweet-smelling flower of Tonga that is the national flower. A week of events includes a parade of floats, a beauty contest, brass band performances, and sports such as rugby and canoe races, and there are displays of Tongan dance and music. Among the highlights is the lakalaka, a UNESCO-recognised choral dance performed in a group by hundreds of people in rows, with poems of praise to chiefs and history in the movement of hands and feet. Tongans wear ta'ovala, woven mats worn around the waist, as a sign of respect. Feasts are laid out on the ground with roast pig and root crops.
Heilala Festival dates: 2026, 2027, 2028
| Year | Heilala Festival date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 to 10 July 2026 |
| 2027 | 4 to 10 July 2027 |
| 2028 | 4 to 10 July 2028 |
This date follows the moon or a local calendar and can move by a day, so check with a local source nearer the time.
What is eaten
- pulu sipi
- lu pulu
- roast pig
- taro
Traditions of Heilala Festival
Also part of it, and being written: Ta'ovala (The woven waist mat.), Tonga (The kingdom.).
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Heilala Festival" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.