Synchronized roller skaters in metallic green skirts glided in formation across the Millcreek Common Skate Loop on Saturday, Aug. 8, as families packed the plaza for the annual Utah Pacific Islander Skate Night.

The free four-hour celebration, now in its fourth year at Millcreek Common, kicked off Utah's Pacific Islander Heritage Month with live music, cultural dance performances, food vendors and a "Voices of Our Ancestors" exhibit. Skate rentals were free for the first 1,000 arrivals.

"That is the core of our Pacific Islander roots. It is about family, our ohana, our aiga. That is what we are about, so this is a perfect place for us," organizer Analei Samasei'a told KSL ahead of the event.

Samasei'a said Utah's Pacific Islander population has grown to more than 80,000 people, concentrated between Salt Lake and Utah counties. The community traces its Utah roots to Native Hawaiian arrivals in the late 1800s.

The evening's lineup included singer Liahona, known from American Idol, artist Havi and the Malialole Dance group, a Salt Lake City-based troupe performing for more than two decades. Food vendors Natin' But Grindz, a Hawaiian food truck, and Kai Pops, an island-style popsicle maker, served the crowd.

City photos posted Wednesday, Aug. 12, showed attendees wearing purple orchid leis, a face painter adding butterfly designs to a young girl's cheek, and volunteers staffing a Produce Pals booth. Produce Pals is a Millcreek city program that collects excess garden produce and delivers it to residents in need. One volunteer flashed a shaka sign from behind a table covered with promotional stickers.

The event is part of a broader Pacific Islander Heritage Month tradition stretching back 14 years in Utah. Then-Gov. Gary Herbert established August as Pacific Islander Heritage Month in 2012, recognizing the community's contributions to the state's economy, schools and athletics, according to Samasei'a.

The city called the evening one to remember in its recap on X.

Coming up at Millcreek Common:

• Farmers Market, Friday, Aug. 14, 5–9 p.m.
• Shoes vs. Skates Dance Battle, Saturday, Aug. 15, 5–10 p.m. (free skate admission; rentals $5)