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Music & Culture Festivals in Rabaul
National Mask and Warwagira Festival
A harbour town on the island of New Britain, set in a flooded volcanic caldera ringed by active cones. Old Rabaul was buried by the 1994 eruptions of Tavurvur and Vulcan and much of its life moved to nearby Kokopo, but the dramatic caldera, WWII tunnels and Tolai culture endure, and the area hosts the annual National Mask and Warwagira Festival.
Scheduled and sanctioned by National Cultural Commission.
Dates & details verified against: National tourism board ↗
Why here
The National Mask and Warwagira Festival is East New Britain's great celebration of the mask, the region's central cultural form, bringing together the Tolai, Baining and Pomio peoples over several days each July. It opens at dawn with the Kinavai, when the Tolai secret societies of the Tubuan and Duk-Duk glide ashore on canoes out of the mist, cone-shaped masked spirit figures accompanied by the click of tabu shell money. The nights belong to the Baining fire dance, where masked performers leap through and stamp out a towering bonfire in a trance-like rite passed down through generations. Between them come sing-sing groups, string bands and mask displays from across the province. The festival grew out of the older Warwagira and is run by the National Cultural Commission; since the 1994 volcanic eruptions buried old Rabaul it has been staged at the Kokopo showground nearby. It is one of the most atmospheric and least touristed festivals in Papua New Guinea.
Best months
The festival runs over several days in mid-July; the 2026 edition is set for 8 to 10 July at the Kokopo showground. July is the drier, cooler season on the New Britain coast. The Kinavai dawn arrival on the opening morning and the Baining fire dance after dark are the two set-pieces, so plan to be there at first light and again at night; both are among the hardest cultural performances in the country to see anywhere else.
Getting there & around
Reach the area by domestic flight from Port Moresby to Tokua Airport, which serves Kokopo and Rabaul on the eastern tip of New Britain. Base yourself in Kokopo, where most hotels and the showground are, and hire a vehicle or guide for the festival days and for the volcano, hot springs and WWII sites around old Rabaul. Book flights and rooms well ahead for the festival week. Most visitors arrange the trip through a local operator or their hotel, which can cover festival entry and transfers.
Skill levels: beginner
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