Next: about 5 to 11 Sept 2027
Teuila Festival
Samoa's week-long festival in Apia: fire knife dancing, outrigger races, tattooing, weaving and the Teuila Queen.
When is Teuila Festival in 2027?
Teuila Festival 2027 runs from 5 to 11 September 2027. The date follows the moon or a local calendar, so it can move by a day. Other years: 2026, 5 to 11 September 2026; 2028, 5 to 11 September 2028.
About Teuila Festival
The Teuila Festival is held each September in Apia, Samoa, and takes its name from a red ginger flower, teuila, that grows on the island. It was introduced in 1990 to show off Samoan culture and bring in visitors. Over a week, the festival presents performances of siva, the dance, and the fire knife dance, siva afi, with blazing knives twirled by dancers, longboat races, tattooing demonstrations by master tufuga, weaving and wood carving, and cooking competitions, with food prepared in the umu, the earth oven. A Teuila Queen is chosen. The event gives a place to elders to hold up the practices of fa'a Samoa, the Samoan way. It is organised by the Samoa Tourism Authority, and the dates vary slightly each year.
Teuila Festival dates: 2026, 2027, 2028
| Year | Teuila Festival date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 to 11 September 2026 |
| 2027 | 5 to 11 September 2027 |
| 2028 | 5 to 11 September 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
- umu feast
- palusami
- taro
- coconut cream
Traditions of Teuila Festival
Also part of it, and being written: Pe'a (The traditional male tattoo.), Umu (The earth oven.).
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Teuila 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.