The Nasinu Festival got off to a colourful start at the Valelevu Grounds in Nasinu, according to a report in The Fiji Times on August 14, 1986.
Balloons were released into the air following a march to the grounds by the Royal Fiji Police Band, the Kiwi Ku United marching girls and school children at the opening ceremony.
The festival had been organised for the fifth year by the Nasinu Jaycees.
Ten girls entered the contest that year. Macquarie Tours and Travel were the main sponsors of the four-day festival. As main sponsor, the company offered two return tickets to Auckland for the winners of Miss Nasinu and Miss Charity contests.
The festival was the first time in which a Miss Junior Nasinu contest was held.
The winner received two Fiji Air tickets to any local destination of the airline.
The Nausori-Suva area was hosting four festivals in the month of August, 1986.
The Nasinu Festival ran concurrently with the Tebara Festival in Nausori. Suva’s Hibiscus Festival began after the Nasinu Festival, followed by the Lami festival which was from September 3 to 6.
The Tebara Festival was organised by the Nausori town Council and money raised during the week-long festival was used to buy a new ambulance for the Tebara town’s health centre.
