Malaita Island

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Cultural, Lively, Traditional

If there’s one island in the Solomons where culture is not just preserved but performed with pride, it’s Malaita. Known for its a cappella choirs, shell money, and kastom dances, Malaita Island is an electrifying place for events that want to feel alive with heritage and ceremony. For event organisers seeking energy, tradition, and strong community spirit, this is where everything pulses in rhythm — from panpipes to processions.

The main town, Auki, is the island’s hub and offers the most practical base for small-to-medium scale events. With its ferry port, local market, and a handful of guesthouses, church halls, and conference rooms, Auki supports events like youth leadership forums, wedding celebrations, or faith-based retreats with modest infrastructure and an atmosphere that’s both friendly and grounded.

Beyond Auki, the rest of Malaita reveals a wealth of village venues — open fields for kastom dances, community centres, church compounds, and traditional leaf houses that can host storytelling circles or music gatherings. Places like Fouia, Lilisiana, or the Aba River region offer serene riverbank and mountain-edge settings perfect for gatherings focused on wellness, land stewardship, or creative exploration.

Culture is at the heart of the event experience here. Shell money ceremonies, warrior dances, and women’s weaving demonstrations can all be integrated into event openings or closing celebrations. With the right permissions and collaboration, guests can participate in processional feasts, ritual welcome chants, or observe canoe races along the coast.

Reaching Malaita Island is relatively easy via ferry from Honiara to Auki, or by light aircraft into Auki airstrip. From there, local vehicles or outboard canoes help navigate between rural areas. While the infrastructure is modest, most places have solar power, basic accommodation, and access to fresh local food. Events here are grounded in people and place, not polish — and that’s part of the charm.

Recommended event types include intercultural youth exchanges, church conventions, traditional weddings, panpipe music festivals, and language revitalisation camps. Any event that embraces collaboration, performance, and community spirit will feel right at home here.

Organising an event on Malaita is a partnership. Engaging local chiefs, church elders, and youth and women’s groups is essential. Events that align with local aspirations — like supporting school materials, health education, or preserving cultural practices — tend to leave the strongest legacy.

Malaita doesn’t just host your event — it envelops it in sound, movement, and meaning. You come here not to be apart from the community, but a part of it. If your gathering calls for heart and humanity, Malaita Island will welcome you with open arms, and a song.