Scarus festivus has been assessed as Least Concern. This uncommon species has a broad distribution across the Indian Ocean and western Pacific. It is harvested as a food source throughout much of its range however this is not a commercial fishery and not believed to pose a major threat to the population of this species at present.

Scarus festivus is distributed from the east coast of Africa to the Marshall Islands and French Polynesia, north to the Ryukyu Islands and Ogasawara Islands. It has not been recorded from Australia.

Scarus festivus is usually seen in small numbers and is not common at any locality (Randall 2005; FAO 2001).

Scarus festivus is associated with coral reef habitats and is found in clear lagoons and seaward facing coral reefs on the outer slope at a depth range of 3-30 m. This species feeds on benthic algae and is occasionally seen feeding on the coral.

Scarus festivus is occasionally harvested by artisanal fisheries in areas of its distribution. It is marketed fresh and is mainly caught with traps, nets and other kinds of artisanal gear (FAO 1983). There are no catch statistics available for this species. The fishing activities are not thought to pose a major threat (G.R. Allen and O. Gon pers. comm. 2009).

This species is likely to be undergoing declines due to habitat degradation of its coral habitat. However these are localised threats only and not considered a major threat to the global population.

Parrotfishes show varying degrees of habitat preference and utilization of coral reef habitats, with some species spending the majority of their life stages on coral reefs, while others primarily utilize seagrass beds, mangroves, algal beds, and /or rocky reefs. Although the majority of the parrotfishes occur in mixed habitat (primarily inhabiting seagrass beds, mangroves, and rocky reefs) approximately 78% of these mixed habitat species are experiencing greater than 30% loss of coral reef area and habitat quality across their distributions. Of those species that occur exclusively in coral reef habitat, more than 80% are experiencing a greater than 30% of coral reef loss and degradation across their distributions. However, more research is needed to understand the long-term effects of habitat loss and degradation on these species populations. Widespread coral reef loss and declining habitat conditions are particularly worrying for species that depend on live coral reefs for food and shelter especially as studies have shown that protection of pristine habitats facilitate the persistence of adult populations in species that have spatially separated adult and juvenile habitats. Furthermore, coral reef loss and declining habitat conditions are particularly worrying for some corallivorous excavating parrotfishes that play major roles in reef dynamics and sedimentation (Comeros-Raynal et al. 2012).

Scarus festivus is occasionally harvested by artisanal fisheries in areas of its distribution. It is marketed fresh and is mainly caught with traps, nets and other kinds of artisanal gear (FAO 1983).

There are no species-specific conservation measures in place for Scarus festivus, however the distribution of this species coincides with a number of marine protected areas.