‘Good problem’: Pika Fest growth strains rooms, rentals

Running out of hotel rooms and rental cars may be a headache for visitors, but for Tinian officials, it’s what they call a good problem to have.

As the 22nd Annual Tinian Hot Pepper “Pika” Festival drew one of its biggest crowds yet, Mayor Edwin P. Aldan acknowledged that the island once again found itself scrambling to accommodate guests from Guam, Saipan, Rota, and beyond.

“Well, we have to continue working with our business partners. It’s very important that we put everybody on check every now and then. It’s not only on festival events, but, you know, keep in touch and we need to help each other because we do have a problem. This is a problem [but] not a bad problem, but a good problem. We always run out of cars, and we always run out of rooms. Now we’re beyond hotels and motels. We’re knocking on B&Bs and people’s houses to have them be available for people to come out here looking for rooms for at least two days. And that’s to spend the weekend with the families out here,” Aldan said during an interview last Feb. 14 on the festival grounds.

Despite the logistical strain, Aldan described this year’s turnout as the largest during his tenure.

“Oh, the turnout is awesome. One of the big turnouts for PikaFest is this year, really. This year, the turnout, we might say from COVID to Yutu and then for me running it for the last six, seven years, this is the biggest PIkaFest we’ve ever had.”

Now in its 22nd year, the festival has grown from modest beginnings at Taga Beach into what Aldan called one of the Commonwealth’s signature events.

“Well, it’s been amazing. This year really shows that we have a lot of people coming down. People, we have people from Guam, people from Rota, we have the exchange program, student exchange program... We have friends and folks from the provincial governor of Tublay and also the board of directors and their families. So, this year we have vendors that we had to turn some of the vendors back because we ran out of booths for them to display and sell their stuff. It’s been quite a trip,” he said.

Reflecting on his final Pika Festival as mayor, Aldan grew sentimental about its evolution.

“I’ve been doing it for the last seven years. I want to thank the people that are continuing to support our festival, especially Pika. Pika is up there, 22 years in the making, and it started with Taga Beach with small 10x10 booths, and here we are. It’s one of the signature festivals in the entire commonwealth. Tinian is known for Pika, and I really appreciate the sponsors over the years and also the booth, the vendors that continue to come out and support and be a part of this.”

He urged his successor to build on the momentum.

“My advice for the [next] mayor is really, I hope that they continue this legacy of pushing the events and the festivals because this is Tinian. Tinian has always been known as a festive island. And we’re here. The people are here. Just reach out to them, to your people, our people, and they can help you a lot. I’ve learned that through the years, it’s not only the government that runs this festival. It takes people to make it successful. So, look out and pick it up a lot and be expecting that this festival will continue to prosper and it gets bigger in the years to come.”

Marianas Visitors Authority Board chair Warren F. Villagomez echoed the need to sustain the energy—and address infrastructure gaps as visitor numbers climb.

“This is an extraordinary event. This is the 22nd year for Tinian. And, you know, this is vibrant. This is the second night. It’s Saturday now. The opening was extraordinary. We had over 500 people on the grounds, you know, from Guam, Saipan, Rota. The [Department of Defense] folks, thank you and thank you for your service. This is an economy that, you know, we get every year. And it’s very significant considering what we’re going through in the CNMI,” Villagomez said.

Calling it Aldan’s last Pika Festival as mayor, Villagomez expressed hope that the next administration would maintain the same drive.

“I wish and hope the next mayor will carry on the same energy and vibrancy to continue this signature festivity. I know, you know, that the mayor and MVAs work collaboratively to make this happen. And there are other events that Tinian, you know, puts out as well as Rota and Saipan. Nevertheless, we’re here to, you know, unify the economy for CNMI.”

On the accommodation crunch, Villagomez pointed to private investment as key.

“Well, you know, this is a moving mechanism of, you know, the economy that’s very obvious. But, you know, nevertheless, real estate and, you know, hotel rooms are something that we talk about every day for Saipan, Rota, and Tinian. Because we’re very unique. Our island is very unique in culture as well as interest. So, you know, this is something that we hope that investors come in and look at that. Considering the buildup, military buildup, we’re hopeful that, you know, contractors too that deals with DOD would consider, you know, this opportunity, our hotel opportunity to build something in Tinian to expand the hotel room accommodation.”

MVA Community Projects manager Martin Dueñas said organizers continue to tweak and expand the program each year, even as room and rental shortages remain a challenge.

“As you know, this year is our 22nd annual Pika Festival. We’re happy with the turnout. Yesterday, we were here and we had a huge crowd last night, huge turnout. We basically started the day today with our fun run, and we had 41 participants who came out. Thank you to the Tinian High School JROTC Stallion Battalion for really coming out and helping with the fun run today. They’re basically getting the proceeds from this year’s run. So, congratulations and thank you to the ROTC Tinian High School today,” Dueñas said.

Despite the success staging of the 2026 PikaFest, he acknowledged there is always room for improvement.

“Unfortunately, there’s still a continued challenge with rooms and the car rentals, but we’re kind of seeing some trends changing. I’m seeing some new rooms popping up to accommodate our visitors, especially from Guam and Saipan. There are some new developments to come along with the festival as well as the other activities that are taking place here, like the Tinian Fiesta.”

He added his appreciation to the community and partners who help make the event possible.

“Yeah, I’d just like to thank the community of Tinian for coming out and sharing their time with our visitors, especially the military personnel that are here. Thank you to the team from MVA for being here to make this event, again, a four-former area event. As you know, this is a signature event and we’re very pleased with the turnout. We’re just beginning right now with our event. It’s 5 o’clock, 5:30 right now, and it’s picking up numbers. Again, thank you to our sponsors for coming out to help us with this. Thank you to the mayor’s office for really, every year, helping us with this event. Without them, this event would not be this great every year. So thank you, Mayor Aldan, and thank you to the community.”