THE Hibiscus Festival will provide young people the platform to share their views on issues of concern.
Aqela Cakobau, the executive secretary of the organising committee for the annual festival, said yesterday that 158 applications had been received for this year's contestant drive.
There were 63 applications for the queen category, 48 for the kings, 38 for the teens and eight for the ladies.
The Hibiscus Event Group Inc will audition prospective contestants and reveal a final list for the king and queen categories after today's second round of auditions.
The auditions will be held at DeVos on the Park.
Fifteen Kings, Queens, Teens and 10 Ladies will contest the 2012 Vodafone Fiji Hibiscus Festival in August.