Pasifika Festival returns to Western Springs

12:13 pm on 12 March 2016

Organisers are expecting more than 60,000 people to attend this year's Pasifika Festival, which returns to its original home today.

The Pasifika Festival.

Last year's Pasifika Festival was at Hayman Park after a biosecurity scare. Photo: ATEED

The country's biggest celebration of Pacific culture is back at Auckland's Western Springs after being moved last year because of the Queensland fruit fly scare.

Festival director Blair Jagusch, said about 300 performance groups would take part, representing 11 villages from throughout the Pacific.

"We did a survey after, just to find out if it was worth moving back, and I can't remember what it was exactly - I think 90 percent - of people wanted it to return to its original home of Western Springs."

This year's focus was on healthy food and zero waste, and there would be about 200 stallholders, Mr Jagusch said.

"The thing that's the most special is the 11 village organisers that are involved so they organised and pulled together their communities in those individual villages and you can see it come out on the day and it's awesome."

The festival opened at 10am and would run all weekend.