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Extra flights on Feb. 18-19 for Tinian Pika Festival
Ricardo Carrazco chomps his way through 100 “donne sali” peppers on Feb. 13, 2021, to win first place in the Hot Pepper Eating Contest (Male Category) during the 17th Annual Tinian Hot Pepper Festival in San Jose, Tinian. (MVA)
A full weekend of games and competitions are set for the 19th Tinian Hot Pepper Festival on Feb. 18-19, 2023.
The festival is affectionately known as “Pika Fest” among locals (“pika” means spicy). Activities will include food sales, live entertainment, competitions, arts, and crafts sales, and more.
Star Marianas Air has announced that they will be adding additional flights on the Saipan- Tinian route and extending their scheduled flights during the weekend. On Feb. 18 and 19 the last flights will leave Tinian at 9:30pm. Flights leave Saipan hourly at the top the hour (starting at 8am) and leave Tinian at the bottom of the hour. Reservations are required for any flight departing after 5:30pm on festival weekend and are also recommended for flights operating within normal business hours from 8am to 5:30pm. Reservations can be made by calling (670) 433-9996/7/8.
The festival will have a soft opening at 7pm on Friday, Feb. 17. Activities, games on Feb. 18 and 19 will begin at 10am and entertainment will continue through the evening. The event is organized this year by the Office of the Mayor of Tinian and Aguiguan with support from the Marianas Visitors Authority and will once again be held at the Fiesta Grounds in San Jose, Tinian, adjacent to the picturesque Jones Beach and House of Taga, a U.S. National Historic Landmark featuring limestone monoliths carved by ancient Chamorros.
“We welcome everyone to Tinian for the 19th Annual Tinian Hot Pepper Festival, highlighting Tinian’s small but famous ‘donni’ Sali’ hot pepper,” said MVA Community Projects manager Martin Duenas.
Hotel accommodations are available at Tinian Ocean View, Lorilynn’s Hotel, Tinian Street Motel, Fleming Hotel, Green Lion House Hotel, and the Marpo Valley Inn. Free camping is available at Jones Beach, Taga Beach (toilets, barbecue pits, and outdoor showers available) and at the adjacent Tachogna Beach (barbecue pits, indoor showers, and toilets are available).
For more information, contact Mayor of Tinian event planning coordinator Dorthy San Nicolas at 433-1800/02 or via email at 2mot.externalaffairs@gmail.com. (MVA)
