Two-in-one events at 41st Flame Tree Arts Festival

The Flame Tree Arts Festival is back starting today, Friday, April 29, at the Sugar King Park and the NMI Museum grounds.

After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Flame Tree Arts Festival is being considered as the 39th, 40th, and 41st editions. More uniquely, this year’s edition will consist of a combined arts festival and a ukulele festival, all taking place across three days starting Friday and ending on Sunday.

The Marianas Ukulele Festival will be from 2pm to 4:30pm on all three days: April 29, April 30, and May 1. Today’s ukulele festival will kick off with performances by Saipan Community School, followed by Marv and Jay, Avry Marianas, Ray Peter, and finally, the Marianas High School Hui Ukulele Club. The festival will be run Larry Lee.

Right after that, the Flame Tree Arts Festival will begin at 5pm and last until 11pm on all three days as well. The event will feature 44 artists from Saipan, 28 delegates from Rota, and one from Tinian.

The food vendors will be located at the Sugar King Park, while the artists’ exhibitions and entertainment will be located at the NMI Museum grounds.

There will also be four outreach groups from Saipan: the Karidat Victim Hotline, Division of Youth Services, American Memorial Park, and the Child Care and Development Fund.

There will be a total of seven food vendors plus the food vendors that are originally at the Sugar King Park. The vendors will be Shirley’s Coffee Shop, Java Joes, All Star Restaurant, Furusato, Island Grinds, CF Premier Foods – potluck catering, and Annie’s Ice Cup.

Parker Yobei, executive director of the Commonwealth Council for Arts and Culture, said they chose the new location for the arts festival because the council “wanted to try something different for the event. The park is nice and shady. It is maintained really well and lots of people haven’t really seen the park so we hope they take this time during the weekend to come out.”

At the event, there will be a survey to get feedback whether to keep the festival location at the park or back in Susupe.

Yobei invites everyone to come out and enjoy themselves with their families and friends during the weekend. He reminds the public of the road closures on Middle Road for everyone’s safety.

Parking spaces will be anywhere that is allowed near the festival grounds and “a short walk to the festival is good exercise,” added Yobei.

Yobei thanks Lee of the Ukulele Association and all the departments and sponsors.

CCAC coordinator Sepe Gloriana Teuira says the event and venue are ready to welcome the public.