The Heilala Festival block party brought hundreds of people into central Nuku'alofa on Friday night, July 16 for a night of fun, with Three Houses Down, a root reggae band on Taufa'ahau Road as the star attraction.

But the block party, part of the Crown Prince's birthday celebration on July 12, and a build-up to HM King George Tupou V's birthday on August 1, this year failed to live up to its past reputation due to lack of displays and activities. Apart from the main Heilala stage where the Three Houses Down gave their crowd-pleasing performance, the only one booth on display was by the vibrant Japanese community and a stage featuring fun performances by the Fili Tonu Boys of the Tonga Family Health.

The Heilala Block Party was held on Taufa'ahau Road starting from the Nuku'alofa Hotel to the former TCF parking lot and E.M. Jones Ltd. hardware store.