Hiri Moale Festival

The hiri was the annual trading voyage of the Motu people, sailing west along the Gulf coast in lakatoi, large canoes made by lashing several hulls together under crab-claw sails, carrying clay pots to exchange for sago and returning on the reversed monsoon; the voyages ran for centuries and ended in the twentieth. The Hiri Moale festival, held around the September independence celebrations, revives the memory: lakatoi are built and sailed into the harbour, Motu villages dance, the Hiri Queen is chosen from the coastal villages, and craft and food stalls fill the waterfront. It is the main cultural event of the capital and the one time the lakatoi are seen under sail.

What you actually see

• The lakatoi - the multi-hulled trading canoes under crab-claw sails.
• Motu dancing - the village groups performing at the waterfront.
• The Hiri Queen - the selection from the coastal villages.
• Craft and food stalls - the market that runs alongside.

When to go

September, around the independence anniversary on the sixteenth; exact dates shift and are announced each year. The main events run over a weekend at Ela Beach and the waterfront.

Honest expectations

Dates move and the programme changes year to year, so confirmation is needed. Crowds are heavy and transport across the capital is slow during the festival. Accommodation in Port Moresby is expensive and fills around independence week.

Nearby

Hanuabada village is along the harbour; Ela Beach is the main venue.