History of the Polynesian Festival

The Vision

The Foster City Polynesian/Pacific Islands Festival came to be as a result of a vision of one member of the Arts and Culture committee, which was to teach others about the diverse cultures of the south Pacific.

An “island girl” at heart, this committee member grew up in Foster City, which is geographically an island in the San Francisco bay.  After High school, she ended up spending five years in Hawaii as a student at Brigham Young University in Laie, on the north shore of O’ahu, and whose campus backs up to the world famous Polynesian Cultural Center.

Because she was not of Pacific island heritage, she was not permitted to work at the Center as a dancer, however,  this didn’t stop her from spending her spare time in the villages listening to her classmates teach the tourists about their cultures. 

After graduation, she came back home to California and became involved with a number of Polynesian dance groups.  She also assisted with the production of events for the Friends of Tahiti, a non-profit organization in southern California as well as large Tahitian dance competitions in the central valley of California and the bay area.

Finally it dawned on her that she was spending so much time away from home helping others improve their communities cultural arts programs, why shouldn’t she stay home and do something here in Foster City? 

After a bit of encouragement from her family, she attended one of the Arts and Culture committee meetings for the City of Foster City.  This is just one of many Citizens Advisory Committees where volunteers offer their time to put together programs which will enhance the community.

She liked the people on the committee and the people seemed to like her, so she applied, was interviewed by the City Council and she was granted a term to serve on the Arts and Culture Committee, and Voila!  We now have a Polynesian Festival to look forward to every year!

To learn more about the ever-changing themes of the Festival, click here:  Past Festival Themes

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Foster City Arts and Culture Committee

Staff Liaison:  Manny Hernandez, Parks and Recreation Department Superintendent

Councilmember Liaison:  Pamela Frisella

Chairperson:  Gina Kuo

Vice Chair:  Evelyn Long, RN, Esq.