Cultural pride and sporting talent will be on show with the return of the Queensland Pacific Island Cultural Carnival this month.
The annual celebration combining Pasifika culture and rugby league will be staged at Beenleigh’s Bill Norris Oval from Friday, October 25 until Sunday, October 27.
Established in 2013 with a vision to become “the best Pacific cultural carnival in Queensland”, last year’s 10th anniversary tournament saw Papua New Guinea take out the Open Men’s crown, with Samoa coming out on top in the Open Women’s division.
The QPICC Carnival is the only fully QRL affiliated and sanctioned Pasifika cultural tournament being held post the club competition season.
As a sanctioned event, QPICC has guaranteed insurance protection including coverage for injuries or accidents, approved child safety practices with the use of the NRL Child Safeguarding Framework and the appropriate player wellbeing and integrity guidelines in place for the betterment of all participants.
This year, the following organisations representing their Nations will compete:
- Rugby League Samoa Queensland
- Queensland PNG Rugby League Inc
- Queensland Niue Rugby League
- Cook Island Rugby League Queensland
The tournament organisers look forward to welcoming new Nations to participate in future and to welcome back teams from Tonga, Fiji and Queensland Māori representatives to future events.
More than just football, the QPICC event is an opportunity for players and their supporters better connect with their cultural identity, with song, dance and sharing of language also a key focus.
The opening ceremony is always a fantastic showcase of the diversity of the Pacific Nations, as well as a celebration of inclusion.
This year, tournament organisers Pasifika Empowerment Group Australia Inc have recruited a Cultural Liaison officer to ensure a strengthened focus on fostering opportunities for cultural knowledge sharing and exchange during QPICC and all other PEGA driven community initiatives.
The popular stalls providing food and crafts from the region will also return in force this year.
A Junior Pasifika Carnival event will also be held earlier this month, taking place at Logan Metro Sports Complex on October 19.
The carnival is an opportunity for the youth of each competing Nation to deepen their understanding and experience of Pasifika culture, while games will take place in the Under 8, Under 10 and Under 12 age groups.
The senior tournament will see consolidation of age groups this year to better align with QRL pathways and to ensure more opportunity for Pasifika players to participate, especially in the female divisions.
The female divisions are: Under 13, Under 15, Under 17 and Open Women.
The male divisions are: Under 14, Under 16, Under 18 and Open Men.
Entry on Friday is a gold coin donation, while tickets on Saturday and Sunday are $ 5 for adults and under 14s get in free.
Senior QPICC is offering new deals for entry to this year’s tournament, with a 3-Day pass (for four adults) costing $45 and a 2-Day pass (for four adults) costing $30. Other pricings for senior QPICC are: age 5 and under – free, Over 5 - $5 a day.
Junior QPICC is also offering a multi-day day, with a day pass for five (5) people costing $20. Other pricings for senior QPICC are: age 5 and under – free, Over 5 - $5 a day.
QPICC will provide a free livestream of all Field 1 matches, via the QPICC Facebook page.
More details about the event, including the draw and parking options, will be provided on the QPICC website closer to the date.
