San Jose Fiesta promises to be bigger, splashier this year

The Tinian San Jose Fiesta will be held on May 4-6, 2018, in celebration of Tinian’s patron saint, San Jose.

This annual community celebration will also include local vendor sales, entertainment, arts and crafts, and various sporting events.

This year’s fiesta will feature 22 concession booths. Visitors can sample a taste of Tinian with local dishes, chaser, and cold, refreshing drinks. Local artists will have crafts, souvenirs, clothing, and accessories made on island. Youngsters will be able to enjoy a kiddie carnival featuring a large bouncy house and game booths run by student and community organizations.

Festivities will have a soft opening on May 3 with live entertainment from 6pm to 10pm at the fiesta grounds next to Kammer Beach. The official opening ceremony will be held on May 4 at 7pm, with live entertainment following until midnight. Live entertainment and a variety of sports and activities will be held on May 5 from 10am to 10:45pm.

The fiesta will feature performances ranging from solo/group singing, dancing, to on-stage exhibitions. The headline performance for this four-day event will be Tinian’s own Pacific Cool, who have not been back on Tinian since 2005.

The award-winning cultural group TaoTao Taga will perform at the opening ceremony.

Other acts will include bands such as Mango Session featuring Tinian’s Nathan Ada, the Tinian High School Music Club featuring former CNMI’s Got Talent winner Nikita Mendiola, and Uprooted CNMI. A portion of the entertainment lineup will feature a Magic Hour with performances from the reigning Queen Mariana Scarlett Dixon, 2018 CNMI’s Got Talent winner, magician Neil Fama, and comedian Chinaman/Patrick Arriola. Members of the Music of the Marianas Organization, Maggie Naputi, James Selepeo, and Marvin Deleon Guerrero, will close out the fiesta each night, opening the dance floor for everyone in attendance.

The Tinian Mayor’s Office has spearheaded the organization of the 2018 San Jose Fiesta, led by event coordinator and fiesta committee chair Joseph Manglona Hocog. Sponsorship through monetary and in-kind donations has been received from the Marianas Visitors Authority, IT&E, Marianas Pacific Inc. and TanHoldings Corp. All donations received will shoulder major expenses such as event logistics, entertainment fees, and prize money for all sports and community activities.

“On behalf of the leadership and the people of Tinian, we welcome all of our friends and families throughout the Marianas and the region to help us celebrate the San Jose Fiesta,” said San Nicolas. “With the theme of ‘Homegrown,’ this year’s fiesta will showcase Tinian’s many well-known and newer homegrown talents. From fishing to bike racing, from live-entertainment to the many games, this San Jose Fiesta will be an event to remember. Biba San Jose!”

To maximize community involvement, a variety of sports and activities will be held throughout the four days with cash prizes. These activities include karaoke singing contest, sandcastle building competition, tug-o-war: battle of the families, fiesta scavenger hunt, San Jose sumo tournament, and chacha dance competition. Sporting events will include a canoe race, Tinian fishing derby, cockfight derby, and the annual Tour de Tinian 100K Bike Race featuring bikers from Korea, Philippines, Guam and the Marianas.

For the fiesta, Star Marianas Inc. will extend its flight schedules from Tinian to Saipan until 10:30pm for Friday and Saturday.

“Each year, the MVA supports activities coinciding with Tinian San Jose Fiesta, as this is one of the largest tourism events on island each year,” said MVA acting managing director Judy Torres. “With all the advanced planning and arrangements already made by the Tinian Mayor’s Office this year, we are pleased to also be able to promote the event to our inter-island and offshore markets. It is a truly a unique and culturally rich event worth experiencing.”

On May 6, 2018, church festivities will begin with Mass at 8am at the Tinian Parish, followed by a procession around San Jose Village. Following the procession, brunch will be hosted by the San Jose Parish Council on the church grounds. Raffle tickets are on sale in an effort to raise funds for the renovation of the church, and winners will be announced at the fiesta grounds at 2pm.

The Tinian Bikers Association lead the organization of the Tour de Tinian, which will be held at 6am on May 6 and have acquired sponsorship from T Galleria, TSC, the MVA, TanHoldings Corp., and Bikefix Guam. (PR)