What is the Care Fiji Commitment?

Bula Festival,  July

Hibiscus Festival, August

South Indian Fire-Walking Festival, August

Fiji Regatta Week, September

Uprising Festival of Music, Dance & Lights, October

JANUARY

Hot and wet. Although temperatures rise above 30°C at this time of year, Fiji’s seasonal variations are not pronounced and this is only 5°C above the yearly average. Humidity, however, will make it seem hotter.

New Year’s Day

New Year’s Day is celebrated with much fervor in Fiji, with some parts of the country having festivities the entire month. In Suva, the New Year is welcomed in with fireworks and street parties.

FEBRUARY

Although only 10 to 15 cyclones strike Fiji each decade (usually between November and April), there is a greater risk of encountering one during February (along with January).

Holi (Festivals of Colour)

Holi (also called Phagua locally) is celebrated by Hindu Indo-Fijians by joyfully throwing coloured powder at one another. Most celebrate it the day after the full moon in March.

The wet season continues and this is usually Nadi’s wettest month, with an average rainfall of 324mm.

Ram naumi.A Hindu religious festival held in late March or early April, it is mainly celebrated in private homes, although you may see worshippers wade into the water at Suva Bay to throw flowers.

APRIL

Heavier-than-average rains continue until mid-April, but by the end of the month, the wet season is officially over and humidity levels – thankfully – start to drop.

MAY

With the start of the dry season, water visibility increases and divers should enjoy excellent clarity from now until October. Fiji’s easterly and southeasterly trade winds become more persistent.

Consistent southerly swells make May a great time to surf; the best surfing is at Cloudbreak. This weather pattern keeps the breaks large until October.

Pleasant temperatures, low humidity and fine days kick off Fiji’s peak tourist season.

The trade winds that begin in May continue to provide perfect conditions for windsurfers and kiteboarders around Nananu-i-Ra. Favourable windsurfing conditions persist here well into next month.

JULY

July is one of Fiji’s coldest and driest months; night temperatures sink to around 18°C. The pleasant days (around 24°C) make this an ideal time to visit.

One of Fiji’s biggest festivals, this week-long party is held in Nadi with rides, marching bands, shows and the crowning of ‘Miss Bula’.

AUGUST

Winter temperatures continue, and a light sweater will be needed during the cooler nights. Days remain warm and dry. Ocean temperatures reach their lowest monthly average but are entirely swimmable at 23°C.

Held in Suva, this whopping nine-day festival has live music, floats, food stalls, fair rides and the crowning of ‘Miss Hibiscus’.

At this festival usually held in August (sometimes July), Hindu devotees at Suva’s Mariamma Temple walk across red-hot stones and pierce their bodies with metal skewers.

SEPTEMBER

The reliably fine weather continues although Fiji’s peak tourist season begins to wind down.

This annual regatta lures avid yachties and party people from around the world. Held at Musket Cove Marina.

Sleepy Lautoka comes alive with fun fairs, parades and the crowning of the Sugar Queen (https://www.facebook.com/LautokaSugarFestivalAssociation).

Similar to Lautoka’s Sugar Festival (with bonus Bollywood Night), this event  is held in Labasa.

The cooler dry season ends and temperatures begin to climb as the Southern Hemisphere moves towards its summer.

Primarily a Hindu festival; theatrical performances celebrate the life of the god-king Rama and his return from exile. It’s held at the Mariamman Temple (in Vunivau, near Labasa) around the first week of October, and has been celebrated here for more than 100 years.

Hindu families decorate their homes, set candles and lanterns on their doorsteps, and pray to Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth and prosperity). This festival (www.diwalifestival.org/diwali-in-fiji.html) is held in late October or early to mid-November.

Week long celebrations focus on the diversity of Fijian and Indo-Fijian cultures, culminating on Fiji Day (October 10), which marks the country's independence from British colonial rule.

Coral Coast hospitality employees race one another down the Sigatoka River on bilibilis (bamboo rafts) on October 10; hilarity (and large crowds) guaranteed.

This 12-hour marathon of music and performing arts is timed to coincide with Diwali. Over 100 musicians and dancers make this one of Fiji's most popular festivals. It's held at Uprising Beach Resort (Pacific Harbour).

NOVEMBER

Fiji’s wet season starts in November and continues across summer until April. The mountains of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu create wet climatic zones on their windward (southeastern) sides and dry climatic zones on their leeward (northwestern) sides.

Blue, edible sea worms rise at midnight about a week after November's full moon. Many island communities celebrate the annual harvest with songs and feasts.

DECEMBER

The rainy season arrives in earnest, though travel is still entirely possible. Rain showers are usually heavy but brief and followed by steamy, sunny spells.

Six weeks of dancing and partying kick off on 1 December as Rotumans celebrate Fara, during which groups of performers visit villages and homes, entertaining their hosts.