Tapati Rapa Nui 2024 Festival

The Tapati is an impressive competition festival and party that takes place on Rapa Nui every year. It is a tribute to the traditions of the island and one of the most impressive celebrations in Polynesia. “Tapati Rapa Nui” means “Rapa Nui week” and is a date when Easter islanders pause their regular activities to make a series of competitions and choose a queen. These days are full of celebration that attract thousands of tourists Would you like to participate?.

When will Tapati 2024 take place?

The 56th edition of Tapati will take place between Friday February 9th and Saturday February 17th, 2024, according to the authorities on the island. The date coincides with the summer season, so you must book your flight and accommodation many days in advance. You will find tourism operators with packages that include airplane ticket, transfer, accommodation, and participation in activities. Prefer services registered with Sernatur.

What is Tapati?

Tapati consists of a competition between clans, where each one of them chooses a candidate for queen of the festival. Throughout the festivity, different events that earn points to choose the winner will take place. One of the most well-known tests is the Tau’a, a marathon that takes place around the Rano Raraku volcano. It is a three-part demanding physical test:
Vaka Ama, which consists of a rowing race on reed boats.
Aka Venga, which is a race carrying banana bunches that weigh almost 40 kilograms.
Swimming through the river with help of a Pora, a small reed board.
Another famous test is Haka Pei, where participants descend from Piu Hill backwards on a sled made with banana trunks. It is 120 meters of steep land, where falls can reach 70 km/h. In addition, horse races in Vaihu, inevitable on an island populated by horses.

Tapati Handicrafts

But there are not only physical tests in Tapati. There are also contests of handicrafts with Mahute, a plant whose bark can be used to make canvasses, decorations, and clothing. In addition, there are sculpture exhibitions, where they make replicas of moais, Orongo petroglyphs, and Reimiro, an iconic chest decoration from the island. The manufacture of necklaces with Polynesian flowers, such as tipianie or tiare also stands out, which are given during greetings or goodbyes.

An unforgettable celebration

As night falls, the spectacular dance competitions start, where the inhabitants on the island will amaze you with their movements. The Takona also takes place here, where participants paint their bodies with natural paintings mixed with clay. They must explain theatrically the reasons of their designs before a group of wisemen. Other competitions are the Kai Kai, where they must tell a story with the help of threads they intertwine in their fingers; and the Koro Haka Opo, choirs’ confrontation where each group must sing their repertoir without repeating or go wrong. Everything is crowned with the Umu Tahu, giant barbecue of meats and fishes typical from the area. Tapati ends with the crowning of the winner. The ceremony takes place in Ahu Tahai, an archaeological site located north of the capital Hangar Roa. The place has consolidated itself as one of the main attractions of the island due to its huge quantity of moais.

Tapati for Rapa Nui

Tapati is an experience you cannot miss. At the beginning it started as a party unique to the Easter islanders to celebrate their ancestors, but with time it has been opened to tourism. It is a time where Rapa Nui inhabitants connect with their traditions, history, music, cuisine, art, and physical abilities. For this reason, it performs a fundamental role in the rescue of their traditions. The tests are inspired on the ancient competition in honor to the creator god Make Make. Participants must then obtain the first egg that the Manu Tara (Easter Island seagull) left at the Motu Nui islet, and then come back to Rapa Nui to climb the Rano Kau cliff. The winner was invested as Tangata Manu, the bird man.