Thousands of people gathered in Labasa this morning to be part of the 54th Independence Day celebration.

The national celebrations started with a march from Labasa Town’s Y-Corner to Subrail Park, where 400 members of the Republic of the Military Forces and Fiji Navy put on a show for the audience.

The highlights of the celebration included a 21-gun salute, which drew wild cheers from the crowd, followed by entertainment from schools and villages in the Northern Division.

Jacinta Renu of Labasa says she was excited to see Labasa continue to be included as a destination for national events.

“It’s awesome, very exciting, and we just like to thank the government for hosting this event in Labasa this year. It’s always been said that Labasa is neglected, but I don’t think so. We are having a lot of events in Labasa at the moment.”

Also part of the celebration were government ministers and a few independent members of parliament, along with ambassadors and guests who were hosted at a VIP lunch after the celebration.

Labasa last hosted the national Independence Day celebration in 2018.