The inaugural Allan Arts Festival which was created to honor the legacy of the late Seiuli Allan Alo and held over three days to end last Saturday has been hailed a success.

A Samoa Performing Arts and Creative Excellence (S.P.A.C.E) co-director, Glenville Christopher Lord, told the Samoa Observer in a telephone interview that both the festival’s performers as well as its sponsors stepped up last Thursday evening and he was pleased with the outcome.

The opening of the festival was held at Lava Hotel last Thursday, while the second show was held at the Tanoa Tusitala Hotel last Friday which hosted the first-ever Allan Alo Vocal Cup Competition as well as a show by S.P.A.C.E's Artists Development Project.

The last part of the festival was held at the Taumeasina Island Resort last Saturday which saw the Allan Alo Dance Cup and a show inspired by Broadway musicals.

In terms of the performances, Mr Lord said the artists know that there is always room for improvement and he encouraged those who performed in the shows to look back and see where they could improve.

Nonetheless he said he was proud of his Artists Development Project students for performing their mini-production at Tanoa Tusitala Hotel last Thursday and their performances during the opening and closing of the festival.

The Nofoalii Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (C.C.C.S) Youth Group also participated in the festival at the Tanoa Tusitala Hotel.

Mr Lord emphasised that the public wanted more as the reaction was overwhelming as people asked when the next one would take place.

The support of the band Poly Flavour was also acknowledged with Mr Lord saying they wouldn’t have had the success they had if it wasn’t for the band. 

The 2022 festival will now become an annual fixture according to (S.P.A.C.E) co-director.

"It will become an annual festival and it will become bigger," Mr Lord said in the interview.

The organisers of the festival have already started to receive interest from artists living abroad, Mr Lord says, especially those who are based in the region. 

Currently, they are considering the possibility of hosting the festival in Fiji next year, but Mr Lord said the fact that the inaugural Alla Alo Arts Festival was held in Samoa is etched in history. 

The success of the festival over the three days last week would not have been possible without the sponsors with Mr Lord acknowledging the support of Lava Hotel, Tanoa Tusitala Hotel, Taumeasina Island Resort, Adaway Media, TV3, Eyespy radio, Samoa Stationery and Books (S.S.A.B), Taula Beverages, Naydith Events Hirage, Poly Flavour, Digicel and Samoa Tourism Authority.