In addition to its white sandy beaches, colourful coral reefs and clear blue skies, Samoa has a full calendar of new and annual events for visitors to enjoy throughout the year. Rugby is high on the agenda in 2015 and Samoa will play host to games in two different formats; an historic first ever test match between the All Blacks and Manu Samoa and the Vailima Marist Samoa 7s. The sporting theme continues with the Samoa Swim Festival and the Commonwealth Youth Games whilst visitors looking for a dose of culture can head to the annual Samoan Independence Celebrations or the traditional Teuila Festival, or even catch a special performance of Hamlet.

The annual Vailima Marist Samoa 7s, Samoa's premier 7s tournament, will take place on 26th – 28th February 2015.  The tournament, now in its 27th year, is hosted by the Marist St Joseph's Sports Club, which was formed after the 1982 first rugby tour of New Zealand.    

This year's annual Samoa Swim Festival will take place fromThursday 21st to Sunday 24 May 2015, giving swimmers of all ages the chance to compete in a variety of open-water races. The race distances vary between 500m and 10km for different age groups with prizes for the winners and medals for all finishers. Competitors swim over coral reefs, amongst spectacular fish and in water temperatures of between 23 and 25 degrees Celsius.

On 1 January 1962 Western Samoa became the first South Pacific island to gain independence from New Zealand. Independence Day, however, is celebrated on 1 June with Samoa Independence Celebrations. This annual event sees locals come together to celebrate local culture and traditions with a mixture of parades, musical performances and boat races.

On Friday 12 June the Shakespeare's Globe will be staging a one-off unique performance of Hamlet in Samoa as part of their two-year world tour. The tour kicked off in 2014 to mark the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth and is due to perform in every country of the world.

On Wednesday 8 July theworld champion New Zealand All Blacks will play an historic first-ever rugby test match against the mighty Manu Samoa on their home turf. The game will be the first between the two nations ever to be played in Samoa and will serve as a warm-up match before the Rugby World Cup in the United Kingdom in the autumn.

The fifth edition of the Commonwealth Youth Games will be held in Samoa from Saturday 05 to Saturday 12 September 2015. Events across nine sporting disciplines (archery, athletics, boxing, lawn bowls, rugby 7s, swimming, squash, tennis and weightlifting) will take place in the capital city Apia with over 1000 competitors aged between 14 and 18 representing the 71 Commonwealth Games Associations. 

Since it was established in 1991, Samoa's Teuila Festival has grown to become one of Samoa's most celebrated annual events and one of the South Pacific's biggest cultural festivals. This year's 25th anniversary edition will take place from Sunday 06 September until Saturday 12 September with an exciting variety of events and activities including choral performances, traditional Siva Samoa and contemporary dance competitions, Chief Fiafia's Polynesian spectacular, Ailao Afi/Fire Knife dancing, Umu (Samoan ground oven) demonstrations, tattooing and carving workshops, and the Miss Samoa Pageant.

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For more information and to register interest in press trips for commissions with national media, please contact:

Samoa Tourism Authority

Tel: +44 208 877 4504

E-mail: samoa@representationplus.co.uk

Visit: www.samoa.travel

Notes to editors:

Vailima: The Marist Samoa 7s tournament is sponsored by Samoan beer brand Vailima, which is named after a local Samoan village of the same name. The four main brands of the beer are Vailima Lager (4.9%), Vailima Special Export (6.7%) Vailima Pure (4.9%) Vailima Natural (4.9). Vailima translates literally as 'water in hand' and the word originated in a Samoan folktale which tells the story of a woman carrying water in her hands to revive her dying husband.

Samoa: The Treasured Islands of the South Pacific

The islands of Samoa - The Treasured Islands of the South Pacific - are the true heart of Polynesia. Ten islands of stunning wild beauty, Samoa - or Independent Samoa as it is now known so as to avoid confusion with American Samoa, is paradise waiting to be explored. From powder-soft beaches to warm tropical seas and colourful coral reefs alive with marine life, its rugged, lush interiors reveal endless wildlife, waterfalls and hiking trails.

Images available upon request.