The story
Teuila Festival in Apia
Established in 1991, the Teuila Festival is Samoa's premier annual cultural celebration, held in Apia each September and named for the country's national flower. The week-long programme centers on the Miss Samoa pageant, traditional siva dance and fire-knife competitions, choir performances, canoe races, and an agricultural and food show.
The teuila, a red ginger flower that grows widely across Samoa, gives its name to the country's largest annual cultural festival, first held in 1991 as a way of consolidating the country's scattered cultural showcases into a single event capable of drawing both diaspora Samoans and international visitors to Apia.