The Samoa Fa'afafine Association (S.F.A.) Fa'afafine Pageant will be back on the podium this year after a two year hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. 

However, instead of having the pageant as part of the Teuila Festivities, the S.F.A. executives have decided to push back the pageant night which is now scheduled  for 9 December 2022. 

This will see a new Miss S.F.A. who will be crowned by the current Miss S.F.A. Honey Julia Solofa who has held the crown and title since 2019. 

The program was outlined in a press release issued by the S.F.A. Inc. which assured that the upcoming event is going to be entertaining with the spirit of cheering up the people and visitors during this festive period. 

The S.F.A. President Alex Su'a acknowledged that it was an "unusual year" for the S.F.A. – as it showed how progressive and resilient the people of Samoa were – to survive through the S.O.E. restrictions which banned most if not all public gatherings including the annual Fa'afafine pageant. 

"Our Pageant has been held off since 2020 and 2022 after our reigning Miss S.F.A., Miss Honey Julia Solofa was crowned in 2019," Mr. Su'a said. 

"It is usually one of the highlights of the Teuila Festival in September every year. The Pageant is not only a beauty parade of our fa'afafine community.

"But it is also an advocacy platform for S.F.A. to address particular issues from time to time relating to its community, not limited to STI and HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence and discrimination etc. 

"For this year, S.F.A. Executive Council has been very conscious of the usual supportive business community which often relies on for sponsorship to support the operations of its pageant and therefore decided to postpone it to December 2022. 

"This is giving our business community space to recover financially and economically, now that our borders will reopen this month. 

"This is also coincidental and timely, because it will fall right in our Fa'afafine Week that is often celebrated as part of its advocacy in December every year. 

"To date, we have not yet finalised if this will continuously be the Pageant dates of not, because we have noticed that since the Miss Samoa Pageant is the highlight of the Beautiful Samoa and its Teuila Festival, the S.F.A. is conscientious of providing a fun, loving and full laughter entertainment for our people during the festive time of the year that is December."

The S.F.A. assures of an entertaining pageant showing how this upcoming pageant with genuine spirit of cheering up our people and visitors during this festive time of the year.