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Liberation Day festivities kick off on June 30, 2022
The 2022 Fourth of July Liberation Day on Saipan will be celebrated from June 30 to July 4, 2022, at Garapan Fishing Base, highlighted by food, live entertainment, a parade, fireworks, and other festivities.
Liberation Day is celebrated to mark the permanent closure on July 4, 1945, of civilian internment camps on Saipan, when indigenous Chamorros and Carolinians were allowed to fully return to their land and lives following World War II.
The annual commemoration is spearheaded by the Saipan Mayor’s Office and coincides with the U.S. observance of Independence Day.
“This year’s theme is, ‘Honoring our Legacy as we Ride the Waves of Change,’” said Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang, in officially announcing the festivities. “Seventy-six years since the people of Saipan were permitted to return to their family homes, farmlands, and property, to begin picking up their lives and starting anew, is truly a legacy we all enjoy and must cherish and preserve today. It was not an easy beginning and the lessons we learned from the past have prepared us to overcome hardships in our time.”
The Liberation Day Parade will be held on July 4 at 10am on Beach Road from National Office Supply to Garapan Fishing Base. Applications for floats and marching groups are due by Friday (June 24) at 4pm. Cash prizes will be awarded: $5,000 for first place, $4,000 for second place, $3,000 for third place, $2,000 for fourth place, $1,000 for fifth place, and $500 for sixth place. For applications, contact Parade Sub-committee chair Luise Villagomez at lvillagomez@mos.gov.mp or 234-6208. Road closures will be announced once finalized.
Festivities will kick off with an opening ceremony on June 30 at 6:30pm at the festival grounds. Over 20 food and drink vendors will be open and live entertainment will be presented from 6:30pm to 10pm nightly. On July 4, grounds will open at 9am. Applications are still being accepted for food and drink vendors. For applications, contact Concessions Sub-committee chair Joann Aquino at jaquino.mos@gmail.com or 234-6208.
Fireworks will be held at 9pm on July 4 at Garapan Fishing Base.
For more information, contact Saipan Mayor’s Office at saipanmayor@mos.gov.mp or 234-6208. (PR)
