Summary

The fifth Festival of Pacific Arts was held in Townsville from 14-27 August 1988, attracting more than 1700 participants from twenty-four countries and territories. With nine performance venues, the city was able to host a variety of events which included story-telling, chanting, poetry reading, a craft village, and film screenings. The festival also hosted a cultural forum, held over five mornings at JCU, which discussed issues such as economic development, land use, cultural maintenance, tourism and self-determination.

Held every four years, the festival brings together Pacific peoples from approximately thirty countries to share and exchange culture and, since the first festival was held in 1972, the number of participants has steadily increased to number in the thousands. The aim of the festival has been to "combat the erosion of traditional customary practices," and emerged from the desire of Pacific leaders to foster friendship and deeper understanding between countries.