Mask Festival

Held from July 12th-16th, the committee’s chairman and Duke of York Island LLG president, Isaac Ilom, said they were pleased to get positive feedback from the business houses that they had approached for sponsorship.

And this year, Coca-Cola got naming rights as the major sponsor for both shows through an allocation of K100,000.

The large crowd which started arriving as early as 3am from all over the Gazelle Peninsula were made to wait for hours as the Kinavai, which traditionally ends on the beach before sun rise, came ashore around 8am.

The tubuans then headed for the festival grounds at Ralum in Kokopo, for the next part of the ceremony which included the kanovo and ngunungut and the varlapang which involves the giving of food and tabu (shell money) to the tubuans.

The tubuans will entertain the festival goers throughout the next few days with the gunugu or tubuan dances.