World Fireknife Championships

Last week was the 20th Annual World Fireknife Championship at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We had been waiting for this since we bought our annual passes last year. This event was one of the main reasons we bought the passes; so we could get in free! And it did not disappoint. The best fireknife dancers from AROUND THE WORLD gather in one place and show off everything they've got for the chance to be named World Champion. It was A-MA-ZING! And we were only feet away from the stage. After just one performance I declared it one of the coolest experiences we've had since living in Hawaii. Definitely makes it hard to be leaving in three weeks! :(((!

This guy, Joseph Cadousteau from Tahiti (who eventually won the whole thing), was my favorite from the very first night. He literally had me screaming in my seat; he was that amazing. Here's clips of his final performance that won him first place.

See the other finalists perform at the bottom of this article. We also watched the junior division championships. It was pretty cool to see a 7 year old twirling two sticks around his head with fire on both ends. Leading up to the competition, we saw some little boys outside at night practicing their routines. I can just imagine: only in Polynesia will a mother tell her little boy to go outside in the pitch black and twirl fire sticks around in the yard... awesome. Check it all out at worldfireknife.com. And watch the livestream next year. We will be!