Tapati Rapa Nui 2027: Dates, Tickets and How to Get There

Tapati Rapa Nui 2027 is expected to run from Saturday 30 January to Friday 12 February 2027, which would make it the 59th edition ^{1 2}. Two island tourism sites report those dates, but the organisation behind the festival has not yet published its official programme, so the dates stay "expected" on this page until it appears ¹. The programme is normally released about three months before the festival ².

Tapati Rapa Nui 2026 ran from Tuesday 3 February to Saturday 14 February 2026 as the 58th edition, so anyone searching for last season's dates has them here ³. The 2025 edition ran from 1 to 14 February 2025 ⁵. Earlier editions started as late as 9 February in 2024 and as early as 27 January in 2017 ⁵.

That spread is the practical point: the festival has no fixed calendar date. It sits somewhere between the last week of January and the middle of February, and the organisers announce the exact window each year ⁵. Two weeks is the usual length, with competitions by day and cultural presentations at night ².

The festival began in the late 1960s as a way to keep ancestral Rapa Nui traditions alive and share them ¹. Its name means "Rapa Nui Week" in the local language ⁶. Two alliances, each backing a candidate and drawing on families, friends and visitors, collect points across the contests, and the winning side's candidate reigns for the year ⁶.

The two women competing for the 'Ariki Vahine title in 2027 are Haukena Mella Tuki and Mihi'ua Pakomio Rapu, who were selected after pre-selection on 24 and 25 April 2026 ². That round judged mahute fibre work, handicrafts, floral adornments, sport, music, dance and traditional dress ².

• Expected window: 30 January to 12 February 2027 ¹

• Last edition: 3 to 14 February 2026 ³

• Where to watch for the official programme: the Tapati Rapa Nui Oficial pages on Facebook and Instagram ¹

Tip: Book a refundable fare to Mataveri until the official programme confirms the dates, because the island has one airline and few rooms ^{2 14}.

Most Tapati events are free and open to the public, but archaeological sites like Rano Raraku, Orongo, and Ahu Tongariki require a Rapa Nui National Park ticket. Most performances, competitions, concerts and cultural events are free and open to the public ². Rano Raraku, Orongo and Ahu Tongariki require the park ticket, which arrives as a PDF with a QR code ².

For the 2027 edition, one guide lists these park fees: 95,000 CLP for foreign adults aged 13 and over, 38,000 CLP for foreign children aged 7 to 12, 40,000 CLP for Chilean adults and 20,000 CLP for Chilean children, with children under 7 free ⁹. A tour operator quotes the foreign adult fee as US$100 and the foreign child fee as US$40 after an increase on 1 October 2025 ¹⁰. The park's own page does not list prices, so check the ticket page you are sent to before paying ⁸.

The ticket lasts 10 days from the first control and can be inspected anywhere in the park ⁹. It is personal and non-transferable ¹⁰. Rano Raraku and Orongo can each be entered only once ⁸.

A guide accredited by Ma'u Henua is mandatory to enter the park ⁸. Tahai and Hanga Rau (Anakena beach) are exempt, though the Ahu Nau Nau sector is not ⁹. Visiting hours run from 9:00 to 18:00 every day, Ahu Tongariki opens at sunrise and Ahu Tahai stays open until sunset ⁹.

• Buy online through the link on the park's official site before you enter ⁸

• In person: a temporary counter at the Ma'u Henua office on Kiri Reva Street in Hanga Roa, open daily 9:00 to 17:00 ⁹

• Rules: no alcohol or tobacco, no drones without authorisation, and fines of 5 to 100 UTM under Law 17.288 ⁸

Tip: Buy the ticket and book the guide before you land, because Tapati weeks compress guide availability ².

Hanga Vare Vare is the main evening stage of Tapati Rapa Nui, and you reach it by flying from Santiago to Mataveri International Airport (IPC) and then travelling a short way into Hanga Roa ^{2 14}. LATAM Airlines is the only carrier listed at Mataveri, and Santiago is its only destination ¹⁴. The flight takes about five hours ¹⁵, over a gap of 3,512 km to the nearest point of continental Chile ¹³.

Seats are scarce before the festival. Demand for the 2027 dates is very high and fares rise, so Imagina Rapa Nui advises booking flights well in advance ¹. Easter Island Travel says to plan a stay of at least five nights ².

Entry to the island is regulated by Law 21.070, and nearly every tourist must complete the free online Formulario Unico de Ingreso (FUI) before boarding ¹². The PDI checks it at the departure airport or port, and without it you cannot board ¹¹. The FUI asks for:

1. An identity document or passport number ¹¹

2. A non-transferable return ticket dated no more than 30 days after the outward flight ¹¹

3. A reservation at Sernatur-authorised lodging, with its address ¹¹

The FUI is separate from the national park ticket, which you still need for the archaeological sites ¹².

Hanga Roa sits in the lowlands between the extinct volcanoes Terevaka and Rano Kau, on the southern part of the island's west coast, at 27.133 S 109.417 W ¹⁵. It is the seat of the commune, with a population of 7,322 ¹⁵. Ahu Tahai is within walking distance of the town centre ¹⁵.

Tip: Carry cash for taxis and small vendors; cards and US dollars in good condition are accepted in most other places ⁵.

The 2027 programme has not been published, but the 2026 schedule shows the shape the festival takes ¹. In 2026 the coastal cleanup began at 9:00 on 3 February, the sixth Expo Tapati opened at 18:00 in Hanga Vare Vare, and the official opening followed at 22:00 ^{3 4}. The theme that year was fresh water, introduced with a torch-lit ritual using a taheta and an ipu kaha ⁴.

Daytime belongs to the contests. The Tau'a Rapa Nui triathlon ran at 10:00 on 4 February at Hanga Rio-rio ⁴. Spearfishing was set for 11:00 on 5 February and wave-sliding on totora floats for 13:00 on 7 February ³. The Official Tapati Mass was at 9:00 on Sunday 8 February, followed by a community curanto at 13:30 ³.

Haka Pei is the contest visitors remember: contestants slide down the slopes of Pu'i hill on banana-tree trunks ⁷. The hill is described as rising 200 metres with a 45-degree slope ⁶. Horse races at Vaihu are run without saddles in 500 and 1,000 metre sections ⁶. Official competitions are reserved for the Rapa Nui community and participating families, while visitors attend and support an alliance ².

Evenings were at 21:00 in Hanga Vare Vare in 2026, with dance contests, the accordion and harmonica competitions, ancestral 'ute singing and Hoko dance, storytelling, and presentations of the candidates' banana-fibre and feather outfits ^{3 4}. The farandula parade and float contest began at 16:00 on Friday 13 February, horse races ran at 10:00 on Saturday 14 February, and the closing night at 21:00 included the queen's speech and coronation ³.

The main coronation closes the festival on the Hanga Vare Vare stage, and the ancestral coronation takes place at Ahu Tahai at sunset the next day ⁶. The farandula is won by the clan that brings the most people ⁶.

• Food at the fair: traditional Rapa Nui dishes, fresh seafood, vegetarian options, natural juices and homemade desserts, with no alcohol sold and smoke-free areas ⁵

• Crafts: carved pieces, paintings, jewellery and natural soaps and oils ⁵

• Etiquette: ask permission before close-up photos of participants ²

Tip: Visitors can join the opening parade dressed in the colours of a queen candidate ⁵.

Late January and February in Hanga Roa are warm and humid, with short rain showers. Mataveri airport's 30-year climate records show a February mean daily maximum of 27.5°C and a minimum of 20.6°C, with 69.3 mm of rain, 9.6 rainy days of at least 1 mm and 79% relative humidity ¹³. January is close behind: 26.9°C maximum, 20.0°C minimum, 81.3 mm of rain, 10.1 rainy days and 77% humidity ¹³.

The island sits in open ocean, and the winds help keep the temperature fairly cool ¹³. Easter Island Travel still warns that the heat is intense, and tells visitors to pack light clothing, sunscreen and water ⁵. A rain shell is worth the space, as showers are common in both months ¹³.

There is no published crowd rating for Tapati, but the pressure is on seats and beds rather than on the sites themselves: demand for the festival dates is very high, flights rise sharply in price, and rooms are limited ¹. Arrive a day or two before the opening to adjust to the climate and logistics ¹⁶.

• Pack: light clothing, sunscreen, a hat, water and a rain shell ⁵

• Footwear: comfortable shoes for Pu'i hill, Orongo and Rano Raraku ⁸

• Bag: a small one for trash, because the national park has no bins and rubbish goes back to Hanga Roa ¹⁶

Not every beach is safe for swimming. Easter Island Travel recommends Anakena, Pea and Poko Poko ¹⁶. Anakena is also the place oral tradition names as the first settlement ¹³.

Outdoor contests, including Haka Pei and the Vaihu races, can be rescheduled because of weather or organisational needs ². For that reason, keep an afternoon free rather than stacking the first two days with fixed plans.

Tip: Check the daily summaries on the festival's Instagram and Facebook pages each morning before you commit to a hillside or a shoreline contest ¹.

Book your Hanga Roa bed as soon as your flight is set, because Hanga Roa is the only town on the island and has a limited number of hotels, cabins and guesthouses, many of which fill months in advance ². Imagina Rapa Nui adds that during Tapati rooms are fewer and prices are very high ¹.

The FUI makes this more than a comfort issue. A tourist must show a reservation at Sernatur-authorised lodging with its address, and the form is checked before boarding ¹¹. If you change lodging after filing the FUI, check whether the portal lets you update it or whether you must file again, and match the details to what you entered ¹². A booking on informal terms can leave you with a form that does not match.

The maximum stay is 30 days, and your return flight must fall inside that window ¹¹. Extensions exist only for specific cases such as research or work, and they are handled by Chilean or island authorities, not through the tourist form ¹².

Because Hanga Roa is the only town, the choice is less about district than about type of stay:

• Hotels suit short trips and visitors who want fixed check-in times

• Cabins and guesthouses suit groups and longer stays

• Rooms close to the centre keep you within reach of Hanga Vare Vare and a walk from Ahu Tahai ¹⁵

Prices are not published for the festival fortnight, so compare rates only on the official listing of the lodging you pick. Cards and US dollars in good condition are accepted in most places, with cash needed for taxis and small vendors ⁵.

Tip: After the FUI, save the lodging confirmation offline next to your park ticket PDF, so both are available at the Santiago desk and at the ticket scan ^{12 2}.

Your phone will work for light use in Hanga Roa, but the Imagina Rapa Nui team warns that connectivity on the island is limited or non-existent in many places, which is why it publishes the festival programme in an app that works offline ¹. Download it before you leave, and do not count on streaming from the hillside at Pu'i or the crater at Orongo.

The festival's own channels are the place to follow what is happening. The Tapati Rapa Nui Oficial pages on Facebook and Instagram offer live broadcasts and daily summaries, and weather-related changes to outdoor events are posted there ^{1 2}. Instagram is where the 2026 coverage points readers for updates ³.

Install a data plan before you fly rather than at the airport, and you should check that the plan's coverage list includes Easter Island (Rapa Nui) before buying, since mainland plans do not always extend there. You can compare options on the Chile eSIM page.

Things to save while you still have a connection:

• The Rapa Nui National Park PDF with its QR code ²

• The FUI confirmation, with names matching your passport and ticket ¹²

• The offline festival programme from the app ¹

• The lodging confirmation and its address ¹¹

Tip: Photograph the park ticket QR code and the FUI confirmation, and keep a screenshot of the day's programme, before you walk into any area with no signal.