Mariana Resort & Spa and 15 other food and beverage vendors serve up dinner and dessert at the 16th Annual Taste of the Marianas International Food Festival & Beer Garden on May 17, 2014, on Saipan. (Contributed Photo)
Participants of the Balloon Popping Competition for ages 14-and-under take a commemorative photo during the Taste of the Marianas International Food Festival & Beer Garden on May 17, 2014. Seated from left are first place winner Miku Kimura and second place Maya Shimizu. Standing second from left is third place winner Miles Timmons. (Contributed Photo)
Participants of the Balloon Popping Competition for ages 15-and-up during the Taste of the Marianas International Food Festival & Beer Garden on May 17, 2014, on Saipan. Seated from left are first place winner Wheng Javan, second place winner Rustine Valico, and third place Ezeth Smith. (Contributed Photo)
Canton Restaurant and 15 other food and beverage vendors serve up dinner and dessert at the 16th Annual Taste of the Marianas International Food Festival & Beer Garden on May 17, 2014, on Saipan. (Contributed Photo)
Mariana Resort & Spa and 15 other food and beverage vendors serve up dinner and dessert at the 16th Annual Taste of the Marianas International Food Festival & Beer Garden on May 17, 2014, on Saipan. (Contributed Photo)
Participants of the Balloon Popping Competition for ages 15-and-up during the Taste of the Marianas International Food Festival & Beer Garden on May 17, 2014, on Saipan. (Contributed Photo)
Tropical Chilla’s and 15 other food and beverage vendors serve up dinner and dessert at the 16th Annual Taste of the Marianas International Food Festival & Beer Garden on May 17, 2014, on Saipan. (Contributed Photo)
CAB Dancers perform a Palauan dance during the Taste of the Marianas International Food Festival & Beer Garden on May 17, 2014, on Saipan. (Contributed Photo)
Teka Naha Nui performs a Polynesian dance during the Taste of the Marianas International Food Festival & Beer Garden on May 17, 2014, on Saipan. (Contributed Photo)
Teka Naha Nui performs a Polynesian dance during the Taste of the Marianas International Food Festival & Beer Garden on May 17, 2014, on Saipan. (Contributed Photo)
A balloon popping competition delivered a “blast” at Saturday’s 16th Annual Taste of the Marianas International Food Festival & Beer Garden at American Memorial Park.
The event is held every Saturday evening beginning at 6pm in May as part of the monthlong celebration of Tourism Month in the Northern Mariana Islands, delivering some of the best of island cuisine and entertainment.
Revelers joined two heats of the Balloon Popping Competition. The first heat for ages 14-and-under was won by Miku Kimura (first place), Maya Shimuzu (second place), and Miles Timmons (third place), who all sat on balloons as quickly as possible to discover the winning tickets. The second heat challenged competitors ages 15-and-up to inflate and pop five balloons the fastest. In the second heat, Wheng Javan finished first, followed by Rustine Valico in second, and Ezeth Smith in third.
This upcoming Saturday’s Taste will feature the Bartenders’ Cocktail Competition at 8pm at the secondary stage.
The Marianas Visitors Authority, the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the National Park Service jointly hosted the annual event. Taste of the Marianas offers international cuisine at affordable prices by 16 hotels and restaurant vendors, non-stop live entertainment on the main stage, nightly contests on the secondary stage, and arts and crafts sales. (MVA)
