The year ahead: the top PNG tourism events to put in your calendar in 2026
From arts festivals to fashion parades to international soccer tournaments, 2026 is a great year to be travelling around Papua New Guinea, writes Belinda Jackson.
PNG’s colourful Kenu and Kundu Festival. Credit: TPA
January
PNG OFC Pro League
January 17–May 24
The 2026 season for the Oceania Football Confederation’s league kicks off in a big year of fixtures that sees rounds of soccer played in Port Moresby, Honiara, Suva and Ba in Fiji, before the finals in Auckland in May. The eight-team league includes PNG Hekari, Tahiti United and South Island United from Christchurch, New Zealand, and will play in Port Moresby between January 31 and February 8.
February
PNG and Solomon Islands FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifiers
February 26–March 3
Port Moresby’s Churchill Park and the National Stadium in soccer-mad Honiara host the qualifiers for the women’s FIFA World Cup 2027, with the regional round including rivals from Samoa, New Zealand, Fiji and New Caledonia.
March
Game fishing in PNG. Credit: GFA
PNG National Game Fishing Titles
March 30–April 5
PNG’s top sport fishing competition sees more than 250 anglers fishing for the title, this year held in Kimbe, West New Britain. In 2025, the heaviest billfish landed was a 134-kilogram blue marlin, with male, mixed, all-female and junior teams all casting off.
Hiri Moale
Late March to early April
Celebrating the Hiri trade voyages between the Motu-speaking peoples, the festival is a three-day event of dance, music and food, with Motuan culture at its core: the Hiri Moale Queen is crowned for her bilas (traditional dress) and traditional knowledge.
May
Tumbuna Sing-Sing
May 7–17
The word tumbuna means ‘ancestors’ in Tok Pisin, and this sing-sing at Rondon Ridge on Mount Kuta lets visitors meet the performers as they prepare their extravagant bilas for a day of drumming and singing at this intimate performance.
July
Shark calling in New Ireland. Credit: New Ireland Tourism.
Shark Calling Festival
July 16–18
Kono village in New Ireland is the site of this ancient festival, where men undertake ritual purification before they embark on the shark hunt. With one man in each canoe, they call the animals to the sacrifice, and the festival culminates in a communal feast back on land.
PNG National Remembrance Day
July 23
This day commemorates those Papua New Guineans who have died in military service and is marked by prayer ceremonies across the country.
papuanewguinea.travel
August
Sepik River Crocodile Festival
August 5–7
Held in the first week of August in Ambunti in the East Sepik Province, this landmark three-day festival celebrates the cultures of the Sepik River, including the so-called crocodile men of Palembei village, whose initiation includes ritual scarring to honour the crocodile.
The Paiya Show. Credit: TPA
Enga Show
August 7–9
A vibrant display of traditional culture and rituals, the iconic Enga Show includes ancient crafts and spell casting, as well as a sing-sing showcasing song and dance.
Business Advantage PNG Investment Conference (Brisbane)
August 10–11
This annual business conference, curated by PNG’s leading business media, will once again bring investors and financiers to Brisbane’s Convention and Exhibition Centre to discuss business and investment opportunities in both PNG and our region.
Paiya Show
August 15
Held the day before the famous Mount Hagen Show, the far smaller Paiya Show lets visitors get up close and personal at this sing-sing in Paiya village, 40 kilometres from Mount Hagen town. Its drawcards include the Asaro Mudmen and Chimbu Omo Masalai (skeleton spirit) dancers.
Traditional dress at the Mount Hagen Show. Credit. TPA
Mount Hagen Show
August 16–17
One of PNG’s most famous cultural extravaganzas, the Mount Hagen Show sees sing-sing groups from around the country meet in the Western Highlands in an astonishing display of tribal headdresses and costumes, body paint, drumming and singing.
September
Bougainville Chocolate Festival
September
Bougainville produces some of the world’s finest cocoa, and this festival is all about the delicious chocolates made in the region. Taste your way around the festival, attend seminars for growers, compete in the baking competition and enjoy local music. Date still to be confirmed at time of going to press.
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PNG Independence Day
September 16
PNG’s national day is a public holiday that commemorates the country’s independence from Australia in 1975. The day is marked with gatherings across the nation, festivals and traditional dances.
Rabaul Frangipani Festival
September 12–13
Held the weekend before Independence Day, the two-day event marks new growth after the town was devastated by volcanic eruptions in 1994. Rabaul celebrates with a float parade and the Tolai people’s sacred Kinavai ritual at dawn.
The Goroka Show in the Highlands. Credit: TPA
Goroka Show
September 19–20
PNG’s oldest and largest sing-sing sees over 100 clans and tribes bring their costumes, songs and chants to this East Highlands site. The sing-sing was established as a peace mission to unite tribes through traditional dances, customs and traditions.
October
PNG Rugby League World Cup 2026
October 17 & 24
The PNG Kumuls come head-to-head with Lebanon at the Santos National Football Stadium in Port Moresby, and then the Kumuls take on Samoa on October 24. In the women’s round, the PNG Orchids face France on October 17, and then Fiji plays the Orchids on October 24.
Morobe Show
October 24–25
One of the highlights of PNG’s cultural calendar, the Morobe Show is held by the light of the October full moon at the Lae Showgrounds. Since 1959, the volunteer-run agricultural show’s highlights have included traditional dance, cowboy and livestock displays.
November
Kenu and Kundu Festival
November 2–4
Alotau, in Milne Bay Province, comes alive with the kundu (drums) in this signature PNG festival, which is heralded by a flotilla of kenu (canoes), ready to race. See war canoes and trading canoes in fierce competition, with song, dance, bilas (traditional dress) and food on display.
This is an edited version of an article first published in the February – April 2026 issue of Paradise, the in-flight magazine of Air Niugini.
