Why book this evening
Why book this evening
You take part, not just watch
The kava ceremony is participatory: you are shown the clap, the greeting and the drink, and you do it yourself rather than watching someone else do it for you. The same is true of the warrior welcome at the gate, which is staged for arriving guests rather than performed on a stage at a distance.
The food is cooked while you're there
The food for the evening is cooked underground in the lovo pit and unearthed during the programme, so the oven you pass on the village walk is the one your dinner comes out of, not a kitchen version of the idea.
One village, one programme, most nights of the week
Fiji Culture Village runs the same Cultural Night Tour Monday to Saturday rather than a once-a-week special performance, which makes it one of the more bookable evening options around Nadi if your dates are tight.
The transfer is part of the booking
Round-trip hotel pickup and drop-off from Denarau, Nadi and Wailoaloa-area hotels are included, which matters for an evening that ends after dark at a site most visitors would not otherwise find.
How the lovo works
How the lovo works
The lovo is an underground oven, and the evening is built around it: the pit is lit before guests arrive and the food is unearthed during the programme. Here is what's happening under the earth while you walk round the village.
- Stones Before you arrive
River stones, heated white hot
A pit is dug and river stones are stacked and burned until they are smoking hot, which is the heat source for everything that follows.
- Layer Before you arrive
Root crops first, then the meat and fish
The hot stones are covered with banana and palm leaves, then loaded in order: taro (dalo) and cassava go in first against the heat, leaf-wrapped chicken, pork and fish next, and palusami — taro leaves stuffed with coconut cream and onion — laid on top.
- Seal Before you arrive
Buried under soil to hold the heat in
More leaves go over the food, and the whole pile is buried under soil or sand. From this point the lovo cooks itself — there is nothing to check or turn, only heat and time doing the work underground.
- Lift Before the kava
Unearthed before the kava ceremony
Once the food has cooked through, the earth is opened and the lovo is unearthed. The village's schedule has this before the kava ceremony, with the buffet dinner served afterwards.
- Serve At dinner
Straight from the leaves to the table
The lovo food is served as part of the evening's buffet dinner, carrying the smoky, earthy flavour that cooking under soil and hot stone gives food.
The kava ceremony has its own small etiquette: clap once with cupped hands as you're handed the bilo (cup), say "Bula", drink it down in one go rather than sipping, then clap three times as you hand the cup back. Nobody expects a visitor to get it right first time.
How the night unfolds
How the night unfolds
The Cultural Night Tour follows a set order. Your booking confirmation shows the start time and your own pickup time, so use that rather than any time quoted on this page.
- Pickup
Pickup from your hotel
Round-trip transfers collect guests from Denarau, Nadi and Wailoaloa-area hotels ahead of the evening — check your own confirmation for the exact pickup time, since it depends on where you're staying.
- Arrival
The warrior welcome
Arriving guests are met at the gate with a warrior welcome, the traditional way a Fijian village greets visitors before they're invited further in.
- The walk
A guided walk through the village
A guide walks the group through the Culture Village, explaining Old Fiji, the buildings and the crafts before the formal programme begins.
- Through the evening
Kava ceremony and the lovo feast
The lovo food is unearthed, then the kava ceremony follows, where you take part, and dinner is served as a buffet.
- Late evening
Meke show and fire dance
The evening builds to the Meke — traditional Fijian song and dance that tells the community's own stories and legends — followed by a fire dance performance.
- After the show
Return transfer
The return transfer takes guests back to their Denarau, Nadi or Wailoaloa-area hotel once the show ends, closing an evening of about four and a half hours.
Navo village, and getting there
Navo village, and getting there
Fiji Culture Village sits in Navo, Nadi, close to Nadi town and Denarau: a cultural village built around Old Fiji rather than a resort function room.
Where it is
Fiji Culture Village is at Lot 1 Nacaqara, Navo, Nadi: 1.5km from Nadi town, 6km from Denarau and 9km from Nadi airport, close enough for an evening trip from any of the main hotel areas.
Transfers are included
Round-trip hotel pickup and drop-off from Denarau, Nadi and Wailoaloa-area hotels are part of this booking, which matters for an evening that finishes after dark at a site most visitors would not find on their own.
Six nights a week, not one
The Cultural Night Tour runs Monday to Saturday rather than as a single weekly special, which gives more flexibility than a once-a-week folklore evening if your trip dates are fixed.
What the evening is not
This is a cultural village built to show Old Fiji, which Tourism Fiji calls a model village, hosting a set evening programme for visitors. The lovo pit, the kava bowl and the village walk are all part of it, but it is not a village where people live. For a formal sevusevu in a living village, book a village visit elsewhere in Fiji.
Fijian culture, in pictures
Fijian culture, in pictures
Traditional Fijian dress, dance and village life near Nadi — representative photographs, not photographs of Fiji Culture Village's own night tour or its performers.
Booking options & what's included
Booking options & what's included
| Option | What it includes | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Cultural Night Tour, with transfer | Warrior welcome, guided village walk, kava ceremony, lovo dinner, Meke show and fire dance, round-trip hotel transfer | The booking this site is built around: runs Monday to Saturday, and your confirmation shows the times |
| Booking direct with the village | The same night tour, sold on the village's own website, by phone or by email | The village's site lists separate child (5 to 12) and family rates, and its own booking terms apply |
| The separate Cultural Day Tour | A different, daytime programme at the same village — crafts, the temple and chief's-house walk, a buffet lunch | Runs on different days to the night tour; check the listing carefully before booking if you want the evening version |
| Pair it with a day out | Booked as a separate GetYourGuide experience | The evening pickup leaves the day free for Denarau or a trip further along the Coral Coast |
Ways to book the evening
Find a night for your dates
Every booking option here runs through GetYourGuide, showing live seats for the Navo village evening and your price in your own currency.
Planning your evening
Planning your evening
Check your pickup time the day before
Pickup times vary by hotel area (Denarau, Nadi or Wailoaloa), so confirm the exact time on your booking rather than assuming the general schedule applies to you.
Dress modestly and bring a light layer
A village visit calls for shoulders and legs covered rather than beachwear, and hats and sunglasses come off in the village. Tourism Fiji's village etiquette guidance is a good guide for the evening.
Try the kava, even a half cup
You'll be shown the clap-and-drink routine on the spot, and a half cup ("low tide") is a normal, accepted way for a first-timer to take part without committing to a full bowl.
It runs Sunday-free
The Cultural Night Tour does not run on Sundays, so build that into your trip planning if Sunday is one of your only free evenings in Nadi.
Planning a Fiji Culture Village evening
Planning a Fiji Culture Village evening
Fiji Culture Village: how to book it
Night tour or day tour, booking online or direct, and the resort Fijian nights that do something similar, checked against the village's own pages.
Read more →The kava ceremony and the night around itSevusevu and kava: how to take part
What sevusevu means, the three steps for taking a cup of kava, how the lovo and meke fit in, and what to wear, from Tourism Fiji and village guidance.
Read more →The feast, explainedThe lovo: how a Fijian earth oven actually cooks a feast
Hot stones, layered leaves and an hour or two buried underground — how the dinner on this evening is actually cooked, from pit to plate.
Read more →Getting thereGetting to Fiji Culture Village: transfers, pickup zones and timing
The village is in Navo, near Nadi town. Here is how the included transfer works and where the pickup time comes from.
Read more →Practical questionsWhat to wear, coming with kids, and dietary questions
The small practical questions a listing doesn't always spell out — dress, kava for kids, and what to do if you have dietary needs.
Read more →Around Nadi and DenarauNadi and Denarau beyond the village evening
One evening is all the Cultural Night Tour asks for — here's where it sits if you're stringing together a wider Denarau or Nadi stay.
Read more →FAQ
Fiji Culture Village questions
What is the Fiji Culture Village evening near Nadi?
It's the Cultural Night Tour at Fiji Culture Village, in Navo, Nadi: a warrior welcome, a guided walk through the village, a kava ceremony, a lovo dinner cooked in an underground earth oven, and a Meke song-and-dance show with a fire dance performance. Round-trip hotel transfer is included.
What nights does it run?
The Cultural Night Tour runs Monday to Saturday, and your confirmation shows the start time and your pickup time. It does not run on Sundays.
What is a lovo?
A lovo is a traditional Fijian earth oven: hot stones in a pit, covered in leaves, layered with root vegetables, leaf-wrapped meat and fish, then buried under soil and left to cook slowly for a few hours before the earth is opened and the food is lifted and served. It's the centrepiece of the evening's dinner.
Do I have to drink kava?
You're invited to take part in the kava ceremony, but nobody is forced to drink a full cup — a half cup is a normal choice for a first-timer. You'll be shown the clap-and-drink routine on the spot rather than expected to know it in advance.
Is hotel pickup included?
Yes — round-trip transfer from Denarau, Nadi and Wailoaloa-area hotels is included in this booking. Pickup times vary by hotel area, so confirm the exact time on your booking confirmation.
Is this the same as the Cultural Day Tour?
No. Fiji Culture Village also runs a separate daytime Cultural Day Tour with a different programme (crafts, the temple and chief's-house walk, a buffet lunch) on different days. This site is built around the evening Cultural Night Tour — check the listing carefully if you want the night version specifically.
Can I cancel if my plans change?
Yes — cancel up to 24 hours before the evening starts for a full refund. On select dates, your seat can be held now with payment settled nearer the night.