Fun and festivities in New Caledonia - celebrations, festivals and cultural events

Every year, New Caledonia hosts many interesting cultural events, such as trade fairs, exhibitions, and festivals. There are events dedicated to music and cinema and more exotic events. Without a doubt, the Bancoule Worm Festival in New Caledonia is a unique event that tourists will hardly find anywhere else. This festival is dedicated to larvae of the bancoule worm. Visitors can see how larvae are extracted, cooked, and eaten. The festival takes place in Farino, the smallest town of the main island. On the day of the event, the staff brings old tree trunks with larvae inside to the main square. They extract the larvae that have a size of a small sausage and then roast them in oil and spices on a big frying pan. Numerous visitors can to see the whole process and try the unusual delicacy. Lychee Festival is a no less interesting event. It takes place in December which is a summer month in New Caledonia. Lychee is a popular fruit that many New Caledonians adore. Tourists can also try it if they visit the village of Houaïlou.

When exploring Grande Terre (the main island), consider visiting the annual agricultural exhibition and simply walk along the stalls. This is a simple way to see the local lifestyle from the inside. Such agricultural exhibitions happen in many cities – Koumac, Bourail, Bouloupari. It is impossible to imagine these exhibitions without entertainment – rodeo has become an essential part of the events. As it is not hard to guess, participants of rodeo demonstrate their skills in taming wild bulls and horses. It is possible to see rodeo not only in Spain but also in the southern latitudes of the Pacific Ocean. Bourail offers one of the most famous events of this type, so people from different regions of New Caledonia visit this city to see it.

Fans of military history should not forget to visit Fort Teremba that was built as a protective fortress in 1878. Later, it became a prison, and nowadays this is a museum that exhibits many interesting items dedicated to the history of the fort. There is also a prison cell that has been untouched since the jail past of the building. Once a year, the museum organizes a grandiose illumination show dedicated to the past of the fort. Visitors can see how jailers and prisoners lived in Fort Teremba. Moreover, the fort hosts an interesting rock festival, Blackwoodstock. The schedule of the three-day event is full of interesting concerts of performers from New Caledonia and other countries. The distance from the fort to the capital is more than 120 kilometers, so it is more convenient to rent a car. Your hotel’s information desk may offer more ways to reach the fort. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Noumea hosts another interesting music festival at the beginning of summer. Make Music Day is an annual event that happened for the 30th time in 2018 and gathered more than 10 thousand listeners. Scenes open in the city, and numerous music bands play rock, reggae, jazz, and pop. Visitors can listen to other music styles and to jam sessions with music that was never played before. Not far from Hienghene, in Centre Culturel Goa Ma Bwarhat, visitors can attend weekly programs dedicated to the folklore of the islands. The aim of these programs is to help modern New Caledonians not to forget about the traditional culture of the islands. Tourists can get acquainted with the traditional culture and heritage of New Caledonia.

In the Jean Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center, there is a precise replica of the traditional Kanak settlement. Visitors can see houses that have the traditional circular shape and a tall pyramid roof. The décor of these houses is full of authentic household items, so visitors can see how people lived in New Caledonia in the past. The center regularly organizes interesting events with authentic dances that are traditional for Melanesian tribes. During these sessions, even musicians play traditional musical instruments. The souvenir shop, which is open in the center, sells small copies of precious items from the exhibition. Tourists in New Caledonia can also attend the International Documentary Films Festival with participants from the Pacific region and other countries of the world. It is a rare opportunity to see documentary films that are not broadcasted on TV. The Tjibaou Center is not the only place that features these films but also small cinemas in different parts of Grande Terre.

Every year, the Anse Vata Beach in the capital hosts a very interesting event at the beginning of summer. Régate des Touques is an amazing exhibition of various watercraft and an interesting sporting event. The regatta always attracts many spectators. As a rule, residents of Noumea – teams from large companies, authorities, universities, and colleges – are the main participants. They make their own watercraft from all kinds of materials they can get, but there is one requirement – all watercraft must necessarily have pontoons or so-called «touques». The event is incredibly fun to watch. Watercraft must not sink and the crew must be able to get them to the finish. Régate des Touques usually starts with a beach parade that is one more great entertainment for visitors. That being said, tourists will never feel bored in New Caledonia is they decide to visit cultural events and festivals.