Trying to understand the Alotau Cultural festival

[bazzaw]

I was on the inaugural P&O cruise to PNG a few years ago http://pacificdawntopng.blogspot.com.au/ We attended the Alotau Canoe and Kundu Festival - actually the festival officially finished on the day before we arrived but they added another day to it (just for us) . This Festival is, I understand , an annual festival which takes a long time to prepare with all of the living huts being erected fresh each year on the Festival site. I would love to go to Alotau and stay there in a hotel to see the whole thing coming together and spend more time at the Festival.

 

I suspect that now that both P&O and Princess are regularly visiting Alotau and other places in PNG - they are not going there at the time of the Canoe and Kundu Festival - but are putting on a day tour which they are calling a "Festival" http://www.cruisecritic.com.au/articles.cfm?ID=2679 It should still be very good - but just wondering how it is all working these days??

[Aus Traveller]

What they currently put on wouldn't be as good as the proper festival you saw on the inaugural visit. When we went, they had several large decorated canoes that the visitors could go for a ride in. They had some stalls and offered food cooked in an underground oven. Groups of locals put on song and dance shows. It was OK, but not spectacular. :)

[MMDown Under]

I would contact the High Commissioner for PNG in Canberra or the Consulate General in Brisbane, responsible for tourism in PNG, for details of how you can visit this festival independently.

 

I remember how much you enjoyed your inaugural visit a few years ago.

[Sandielle]

We went on the cruise after you, Les, and they put on a few dancers and stalls and the canoe rides. (The canoe ride was the best! :) )

One of my sons returned on Thursday on Sun Princess - now they have a festival at a site somewhere out of town. He said it was good but Princess now charge nearly $40 to take you there and bring you back.

[peter.kath@hotmail.com]

We were on the 2nd P & O Cruise that went there in November 2013, I think and are going again this week, so I can let you know the the difference.

I have been doing some research on our ports and I have seen that there is a new Hotel, there on the Waterfront, near where the ships dock.

 

 

 

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[SinbadThePorter]

One of my sons returned on Thursday on Sun Princess - now they have a festival at a site somewhere out of town. He said it was good but Princess now charge nearly $40 to take you there and bring you back.

 

Was this at the Christian college? I was there in July and it was very lacklustre. But it was raining so I'm probably being unfair.

[MicCanberra]

I think it would be a wonderful thing to see. I would also prefer to see the real festival rather than a cultural demonstration put on just for the tourists.

[lagoon380]

We were there end of August 2016 and went to the festival that they put on for the cruise ships, just a small version of the real festival, there's a few pics and some footage of it on this video.

[MicCanberra]

We were there end of August 2016 and went to the festival that they put on for the cruise ships, just a small version of the real festival, there's a few pics and some footage of it on this video.

 

Cool, thanks for that.:D