# Event Details - **Event Name**: TE VAKA: Opening Ceremony | Pasifika Fest UK 2026 - **Event Start and End Date**: Sat, 04 Jul, 2026 at 09:30 am – Sat, 04 Jul, 2026 at 11:00 am - **Event Description**: Begin the festival journey with a traditional Pacific welcome, ceremony and celebration as we gather to push out our VAKA, together.About this Event? Te Vaka Pōwhiri & Opening Ceremony ?The journey begins here.Join us as communities from across the Pacific and beyond gather to open Pasifika Fest UK 2026 with a powerful ceremony of welcome, connection and celebration. Experience the mana of traditional protocols, music, culture and storytelling as we come together as one vaka for an unforgettable weekend.? All are welcome? A celebration of community and belonging✨ The official opening of Pasifika Fest UK 2026A fale has no door. The village is gathering. Come in. ??Day One?: 09:30 AM - 11:00 AMTe Vaka - Pōwhiri & Opening Ceremony (Reception Arches)Host: Ngāti Rānana & Mana Arts CoInfo: Join us as we open the festival with a traditional Māori powhiri ceremony. Layered with music, haka, speech and song, we’ll be guided by David Jones, a knowledge-holder of Te Ao Māori, who will guide us through what will be a moving experience.?: 11:00 AM - 06:00 PMFale Pasifika Marketplace (Large Common Room)Host: Mana Arts CoInfo: Throughout both days of the festival, come and check out our marketplace, Fale Pasifika, and meet some of our talented artists, makers, designers, creators, and businesses. It’s designed to be somewhere between a bustling town market, curated gallery, and village gathering space. ?: 11:00 AM - 11:30 AMCommunity Workshop: Ngāti Rānana (Lawn)Host: Ngāti RānanaInfo: ***FREE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP*** The poi, a ball attached to a woven chord, is one of the key components of Pacific performance, designed to be both visually spectacular, while providing rhythm and beat to performance, here you have a chance to weave your own and learn how to use it with Ngāti Rānana, the London Māori club. ?: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PMKeala Settle: A Journey to Broadway (Great Hall)Host: Voices and Voyages & Mana Arts CoInfo: Join Tony-award winning musical star Keala Settle, whose powerhouse vocals have provided the soundtrack for films including The Greatest Showman and Wicked, as well as Broadway and West End productions of Les Miserables, Waitress and Hands on a Hardboy. She’ll be here for a discussion about her life and work, and a special performance from Māori singers from West End's Hamilton.?: 12:30 PM - 01:30 PM Navigating New Shores - Professionally Pacific (Churchill Room)Host: Mana Arts CoInfo: How can Pacific communities hold true to their identity and values, while making it big globally? Could it be the secret for business success? How do you go global while remaining connected to your island home and values? Join the Ambassador for Samoa to the EU and UK, Francella Strickland, in conversation with Sina Wendt ONZM (Pasifika leader and governance strategists) with more special guests to be announced.?: 01:30 PM - 03:00 PMSiva Mai with Ura Tabu: Siva Samoa Workshop (Great Hall)Host: Ura Tabu & Mana Arts CoInfo: Ura Tabu is a leading Pacific dance collective, based in Aotearoa New Zealand. They specialise in siva, the spectacular dance that mimics the flows of nature. They’ve flown over especially for Pasifika Fest UK 2026, and they’ll lead a workshop to teach you how to do it. It’s not to be missed!?: 03:00 PM - 03:30 PMCommunity Workshop: London School of Hula and 'Ori (Lawn)Host: London School of Hula and 'OriInfo: ***FREE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP*** Learn the fundamentals of hula! Engage with Hawaiian movement and storytelling traditions with this community workshop. Designed for all levels of experience, come and give it a go!?: 03:30 PM - 05:30 PMMārama: Film Screening & Director Talanoa (Great Hall)Host: Taratoa Stappard & Mana Arts Co Info: Mārama, described as Māori Victorian gothic horror, is the directorial debut of Taratoa Stappard, a bold film that interrogates an era of history where Māori culture and people were collected and traded as romantic curios. Join us for an exclusive screening of this film that’s taken New Zealand by storm, and then stay for a discussion with Taratoa Stappard. ?: 07:00 PM - 09:00 PMClassical Coconuts (Great Hall)Host: Mana Arts CoInfo: Blending the grandeur of an opera gala with a distinct Pacific flair, Classical Coconuts combines artistry, humour, storytelling and emotion in a playful and very special performance. Come and see classical music reshaped in a uniquely Pacific style.Day Two?: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AMWairua in Waiata - Sharing Song (Great Hall)Host: Mana Arts CoInfo: ***FREE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP*** Start your Sunday with a communal workshop that blends performance, learning and spirituality. We’ll learn the Māori waiata, “Wairua Tapu” – sacred spirit – paired with New Zealand sign language to open our second day. ?: 10:00 AM - 06:00 PMFale Pasifika Marketplace (Large Common Room)Host: Mana Arts CoInfo: Throughout both days of the festival, come and check out our marketplace, Fale Pasifika, and meet some of our talented artists, makers, designers, creators, and businesses. It’s designed to be somewhere between a bustling town market, curated gallery, and village gathering space. ?: 11:00 AM - 11:30 AMCommunity Workshop: Kōhanga Reo o RānanaHost: Kōhanga Reo o RānanaInfo: ***FREE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP*** This one’s for the kids. Explore traditional Māori weaving with Kōhanga Reo o Rānana, a London-based Māori language nest for children. Immersive, fun, and practical, we’ll learn about weaving in Māori life, and be able to give it a go yourself.?: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PMKaiKōrero: Mat Blak (Great Hall)Host: Mana Arts CoInfo: Mat Blak is a Māori chef who has well and truly made a name for himself in London, working at some of the city’s major restaurants for some of the biggest names, now carving his own path as he blends fine dining with his passion for Māori ingredients and food. Join Mat as he reflects on his identity, the importance of food for community, and his ongoing reclamation of identity. ?: 12:30 PM - 01:30 PMLost In Translation: Decoding Pacific Languages (Churchill Room)Host: Mana Arts CoInfo: In Aotearoa, to greet someone, you would say “Kia ora.” In the Cook Islands, it’s “Kia Orana”, in Tahiti, “Ia Orana”. The languages of the Pacific are all deeply related. Join us to find out more about the languages, there’s something for everyone. Hosted by a special guest speaker.?: 01:30 PM - 03:00 PMHaka Mai with David Jones and Ngāti Rānana (Great Hall)Host: Ngāti Rānana & Mana Arts CoInfo: Haka is one of the most recognisable displays of Māori culture around the world. But what is its origin and meaning? How is it used beyond the rugby field, as a living practice that reaches from the past and into the present? David Jones will lead an immersive haka workshop, where he’ll explore storytelling, distinctions, expression, and its movement and rhythm. Not to be missed.?: 03:30 PM - 05:00 PMTatau to Tattoo: Marks of Mana / Talanoa with Su'a Tatau Tyla Vaeau (Samoa)Host: Mana Arts CoInfo: Su'a Tyla Vaeau is a master tattooist, the first woman to be gifted the sacred ‘au from one of Samoa’s leading tattooing families, the Sa Su’a’s. Tyla will introduce Lisa Taouma’s award-winning film that explores the ancient traditions, cultural resurgence and powerful stories - one of which is Tyla’s own - of female tatau across the Pacific. She’ll then hold a discussion about tatau, identity, and the responsibility of carrying a family’s story on your skin.?: 05:00 PM - 05:30 PMCommunity Workshop: Gafa Arts Collective (Lawn)Host: Gafa Arts CollectiveInfo: ***FREE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP***. Gafa is a London-based Samoan arts collective that works across theatre, opera, and cultural storytelling working to break down the walls between what’s considered cultural and contemporary. Join them as they share their talents in a uniquely Pacific workshop. ?: 05:30 PM - 06:30 PMTOITŪ Visual Sovereignty: Jamie TahanaHost: Mana Arts CoInfo: The past year has been big for analyses of contemporary Māori Art. In 2025, Oscar-nominated producer and director, Chelsea Winstanley, released TOITŪ Visual Sovereignty, a homage to contemporary Indigenous art and a vital examination of its sovereignty. Ahead of the film’s UK premiere, Jamie Tahana, the co-author of a 2026 podcast series, Pūtātara: Revolutions in Māori Art, will present a spellbinding talk on contemporary art in the Pacific, and its intrinsic links with politics, protest, and the Māori renaissance that will include scintillating previews specially prepared by Winstanley.?: 07:00 PM - 09:00 PMTĀTOU: Fiafia NightInfo: Wrap up Pasifika Fest UK 2026 with an incredible island-style party! Fiafia night will be a dazzling showcase of Pacific dance, music, performance, community and pride, with performances from UK based dance groups, as well as the internationally-acclaimed Ura Tabu. - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/london/te-vaka-opening-ceremony-pasifika-fest-uk-2026/100001990478206899 - **Event Categories**: workshops, art, festivals, entertainment, storytelling, sports, music, parties, live-music, food-drinks, fine-arts, theatre, literary-art, kids - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 - **Event Highlights**: - Age Limit: all_ages - Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes - Location: Goodenough College - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: GBP ## Event venue details - **city**: London - **state**: EN - **country**: United Kingdom - **location**: Goodenough College - **lat**: 51.5242898 - **long**: -0.11794959999997445 - **full address**: Goodenough College, London House, London, United Kingdom ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: TE VAKA: Opening Ceremony | Pasifika Fest UK 2026 - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events7/banners/72195f81f795fff4b0acb534a6461058f6e5c6b22100306efd9048542eb08b92-rimg-w1200-h600-dcc3c1bc-gmir.jpg?v=1780909961 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is TE VAKA: Opening Ceremony | Pasifika Fest UK 2026 being held? - **A:** TE VAKA: Opening Ceremony | Pasifika Fest UK 2026 takes place on Sat, 04 Jul, 2026 at 09:30 am to Sat, 04 Jul, 2026 at 11:00 am at Goodenough College, London House, London, United Kingdom. - **Q**: Who is organizing TE VAKA: Opening Ceremony | Pasifika Fest UK 2026? - **A:** TE VAKA: Opening Ceremony | Pasifika Fest UK 2026 is organized by Mana Arts Co. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** TE VAKA: Opening Ceremony | Pasifika Fest UK 2026 is ideal for festival lovers, culture enthusiasts, and anyone looking for a vibrant, immersive community experience. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in London, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. 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