HONOLULU (KHON2) -- Locals and visitors have been immersed in different cultures from all around Oceania thanks to the Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture, or FestPAC. People are busy finding cultural artifacts and rarities to remember their experiences.
Along with exhibitions and performances, the festival village is a commercial hub of more than 20 Pacific nations sharing their traditions through art.
"This is what we use to make our sleeping mats and food containers and also the sails that brought our people out to the islands," stated Northern Mariana Islands delegate James Bamba.
Bamba used banana leaves for weaving, a more sustainable and eco-friendly material that doesn't create microplastics, according to Bamba.
"This material and this cultural practice is disappearing slowly because of modernization," said Bamba who added events like FestPAC are important in reviving old traditions like his weaving.
Locals and visitors have been busy collecting pieces of art from all different cultures to help support their businesses and the arts.
"I'll ask about items that are more or less common or harder to create or to have access to," said Leni English, FestPAC attendee.
60,000 to 100,000 people are expected to go through the Hawaii Convention Center. An additional 150,000 are estimated to visit the satellite venues throughout the duration of the festival, according to Hawaii Tourism Authority Board Chair Mufi Hannemann.
"I came all the way from Melbourne, Australia for FestPAC," stated Angela Pulbrook, FestPAC attendee. "I'm excited to bring back home all the music, the dance, the artwork, and the passion of the Pacific Island peoples."