Temperature checks, masks at the Taste of the Marianas

The Garapan Fishing Base will be playing host to the three-day 22nd Taste of the Marianas International Food Festival & Beer Garden, which will kick off today, Aug. 27. The festival will begin at 4pm on the first day (Aug. 27) and at 5pm on Aug. 28 and 29, ending at 10pm on all three days. Twenty food and two beverage vendors are confirmed for the festival. Photo taken by licensed commercial drone pilot BJ Eddy. Check out his YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/mydiGis7xwY. (BJ EDDY)

Festivalgoers at this weekend’s 22nd Taste of The Marianas International Food Festival & Beer Garden in Saipan should plan ahead for COVID-19 safety protocols, including mandatory temperature checks and masks.

Wristbands will be issued to all attendees following temperature checks at the two entry points to the festival grounds at Garapan Fishing Base—one at the north end and one at the south near the Garapan Farmers Market. All attendees are required to wear masks when not eating or drinking. To encourage social distancing, the Marianas Visitors Authority has enlarged the area for this year’s three-day festival, which will take place on Aug. 27-29.

“To comply with requirements from the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. and COVID- 19 Task Force, we have worked closely with several other government agencies who have jurisdiction in the area,” said MVA managing director Priscilla Maratita Iakopo. “We greatly appreciate the cooperation of the [CHCC], Bureau of Environmental Health, Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco Control, Bureau of Environmental & Coastal Quality, Department of Public Lands, Department of Lands & Natural Resources, Saipan Mayor’s Office, Saipan Zoning Office, Department of Public Safety, Commonwealth Utilities Corp., and Department of Fire & Emergency Medical Services for the cooperative effort to help make this year’s festival possible and safe.”

The event, an annual signature event of the MVA will be held this year at the Garapan Fishing Base on Saipan and will feature international cuisines, live entertainment, and arts and crafts sales. Entry is free, and the festival will begin at 4pm on the first day (Aug. 27) and at 5pm on Aug. 28 and 29, ending at 10pm on all three days. Twenty food and two beverage vendors are confirmed for the festival.

This year’s festival is sponsored by Bank of Guam, IT&E, Bridge Capital, and Dave’s Electronics Center.

Entertainment on Friday includes the opening ceremony (4pm), Saipan Community School Ukelele (4:30pm), Awadori Saipan (5pm), Joselyn Toves (5:30pm), Ben San Nicolas (6pm), POLKSAI Guma Chamorro (6:30pm), Saipan Music & Dance Studio (7pm), Ana Glushko Dance Academy (7:30pm), High Tide (8pm), Man Antigo (8:30pm), and Tattoo (9pm). Entertainment on Saturday includes JX Dance Ballet (5:30pm), Tahiti Nui (6pm), South Korean K Pop (6:30pm), Marianas Saxophone Ensemble (7pm), Simiyan Marianas (7:30pm), Road to 80 raffle (8pm), Black Sands (8:30pm), and Tasi and the Allii’s (9pm). Entertainment on Sunday includes Baraha Band (5:30pm), Laly 4 (6:30pm), Da King (7:30pm), Petlas Micronesia (8pm), Studio 29:11 (8:30pm), and Cab Dancers (9pm), WD40 (9:30pm). Entertainment is subject to change.

The festival will feature the Kadun Pika Cooking Contest on Aug. 27, the Eskabeche Cooking Contest on Aug. 28, and the Bunelos Kamuti Eating Contest on the final night, all beginning at 7pm. The contests are open to the first 10 registrants ages 18 and older. Registration forms are available on The Marianas Calendar at www.mymarianas.com, and cash prizes will be awarded to the winners.

Vendors will accept both Taste of the Marianas tokens or cash; however, tokens will not be sold this year.

For more information, contact MVA Community Projects specialist Ray Villagomez at rvillagomez@mymarians.com or 664-3200. (PR)