Hibiscus Festival fuels growth for local businesses

Demand for stalls at the 70th Hibiscus Festival has surged, with only a handful of spaces remaining as local businesses prepare to tap into thousands of festivalgoers expected at Albert Park.

The FMF Hibiscus Festival 2026 returns to its traditional home from August 29 to September 5, marking seven decades of one of Fiji’s longest-running community celebrations.

Preparations are gathering pace at Albert Park, where organisers, vendors and event crews are preparing for the week-long festival under the theme “Ours to Celebrate.”

FMF Hibiscus Festival 2026 stalls manager Arishma Chand said demand from businesses had been strong.

“Interest in stalls for the FMF Hibiscus Festival 2026 has been great. We already have a large number of vendors who have secured and paid for their spaces, while many more are currently on the waiting list. At this stage, we only have a handful of stalls still available,” Chand said.

More variety on the menu

Organisers have also capped the number of barbecue stalls this year to make room for a wider range of food businesses.

“We wanted to create a more balanced playing field for our food vendors this year. In previous years, BBQ stalls have made up a large proportion of the food offering, so we decided to place a cap on the number of BBQ stalls to give other food businesses an opportunity to come on board and showcase what they have to offer,” Chand said.

The move is expected to provide festivalgoers with a greater variety of food and refreshments while giving more local businesses an opportunity to showcase their products.

From one stall to three

For The Grillenium Enterprises PTE Ltd owner Akshay Kumar, the festival has become an important platform for growing his business.

Mr Kumar started with one stall in 2024, expanded to two in 2025 and will operate three at this year’s festival.

“The biggest support we have received as a business has been through Hibiscus. In 2024, we started with one stall, then increased to two in 2025, and this year we are taking three stalls,” Kumar said.

He said the response from festivalgoers and his confidence in the organising team encouraged him to invest further.

“I heard the organising committee was a new team, but knowing their experience in delivering events gave me confidence to invest further. We have grown from one stall to three because we have seen the support from Hibiscus and the response from festivalgoers. This year, we are looking forward to bringing an even wider variety of food to the FMF Hibiscus Festival 2026,” he said.

Businesses eye new customers

The Cake Lab is another business hoping to use the festival to reach a wider customer base.

Owner Josese Cagica said the event offered an opportunity to showcase the business and connect directly with the community.

“We chose to be part of this year’s FMF Hibiscus Festival because it is a great opportunity to showcase The Cake Lab, connect with the community and introduce our products to a wider audience,” Mr Cagica said.

“We’re looking forward to meeting new customers, creating memorable experiences through our treats, and being part of such a vibrant and exciting festival,” he said.

“We’re grateful for the opportunity to be part of this year’s festival and look forward to an amazing event filled with good food, great people and lots of sweet moments.”

Meanwhile, the Suva City Council has closed Albert Park and the pavilion as preparations intensify ahead of the festival’s opening on August 29.

Thousands of people are expected to converge on central Suva for the festival, which will feature food and commercial stalls, entertainment, competitions and the Hibiscus pageant.

For participating businesses, the milestone festival will also provide an opportunity to attract customers, showcase products and build their brands as Hibiscus celebrates 70 years of bringing communities together.