Tonga's Heilala Festival will still be held in the first week of July but the main event will be on July 12, the birthday of the Crown Prince Tupouto'a Lavaka.

In previous years the Heilala Festival marked Tupou IV's birthday on July 4.

The Tonga Visitors Bureau Office yesterday confirmed that the 2007 Heilala Festival would run from June 30 to July 13.

The birthday of HM King George Tupou V on May 4 will no longer be a public holiday, and instead his birthday will be celebrated on August 1, which will become a new public holiday. The coronation of King George Tupou V will be held on August 1, 2008.

The new public holiday dates were approved by the Tonga's Privy Council on December 8, 2006.

Meanwhile, the Heilala Week will still accommodate the annual Heilala Beauty Pageant, which is usually held in the last week of the festival.

The program for this year's festival has yet to be confirmed by the Tonga Tourist Association.