Tapati Rapa Nui

The festival

The Tapati — Rapa Nui's "week" — is the great celebration of Easter Island: almost two weeks, early February, where all Hanga Roa lives at the rhythm of ancestral competitions. There is the Haka Pei, a dizzying descent from a hill on banana trunks; the Tau'a, traditional triathlon in reed raft; the Takona, body painting with natural pigments; and the singing and dancing competitions of the two competing communities, each supporting their candidate as queen of the Tapati.

Born in the 1970s to transmit raphanui culture to young people, the 58th edition (3-14 February 2026) was the theme of "Vai Ma