According to an ancient Hawaiian prophecy, a light in the sky with feathers like a bird would coincide with the birth of a great alii (royal). Historians believe Kamehameha I was born in the North Kohala district of Hawaii island between 1753 and 1761; some pinpoint the year as 1758, when Halley’s Comet was visible from Earth, thus fulfilling the prophecy.
Although the comet appeared on Christmas night, Hawaii remembers the great warrior king who united the islands with a holiday on June 11, the cusp of summer. Here’s a wrap-up of this year’s Kamehameha Day celebrations; admission is free unless otherwise noted.
HAWAII ISLAND
June 8, Kailua-Kona
The Kamehameha Day Celebration Parade will begin at 9 a.m. at the Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area, head south on Kuakini Highway to Palani Road, then go on Alii Drive through Kailua-Kona town to Hulihee Palace. There, a hoolaulea (celebration) featuring hula, music, food, arts, crafts and more will draw crowds from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
>> Contact: Barbara Nobriga, 808-322-9944
>> Email: kamehamehaday parade@hawaii.rr.com
>> Website: konaparade.org
June 10-11, Hilo
Members of the community and Hawaiian royal societies will drape lei on the Kamehameha statue in the Wailoa River State Recreation Area beginning at 5 p.m. on June 10. The program also includes chants, hula and a presentation by Kamehameha Schools’ alumni chorus.
The next day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., cultural protocols and family-friendly fun are part of the Kamehameha Festival on Mokuola (formerly known as Coconut Island).
>> Contact: Lei draping, Roy Alameida, 808-756-4574; hoolaulea, Pua Ishibashi, 808-989-4844
>> Email: pua@kamehameha festival.org
>>Website: kamehamehafestival.org
June 11, North Kohala
North Kohala Kamehameha Day Celebration events will start at 8 a.m. with lei draping, hula and music at the Kamehameha statue in Kapaau. From 9 to 10:30 a.m., a parade will proceed from the neighboring town of Hawi to King Kamehameha Park in Kapaau where festivities will go on from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
>> Contact: Michelle Kawai, 808-889-0404, ext. 104
>> Contact: michelle@kohalavillagehub.com
>> Website: kamehamehadaycelebration.org
June 11, Kohala Coast
Guests of the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai can attend lectures about Kamehameha’s life, accomplishments and long-lasting influence at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the garden next to the hotel’s cultural center.
>> Contact: Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, 808-325-8000
>> Website: fourseasons.com/hualalai
KAUAI
June 8, Lihue
Head to the Kauai Marriott Resort’s luau grounds for the King Kamehameha Hoolaulea from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Planned are cultural exhibits, hula performances and a procession representing the king’s court. Park in the golf course’s lot; shuttle service will be provided between there and the luau grounds.
>> Contact: Lyah Kama-Drake, 808-245-6931
>> Email: education@kauaimuseum.org
MAUI
June 11, Wailea
The Grand Wailea’s Kamehameha Day Celebration will begin at 8 a.m. in the resort’s Grand Dining Room, followed by a procession to the Kamehameha statue at the entrance where a lei-draping ceremony, including hula and mele (songs), will be held. Sculpted by the late Herb Kawainui Kane — a renowned artist, historian and author — this statue is believed to be the most accurate representation of Kamehameha.
>> Contact: Chelsea Livit, 808-875-1234
>> Email: chelsea.livit@waldorfastoria.com
June 15-16, Lahaina
Starting at 9:45 a.m. on June 15, the Na Kamehameha Commemorative Pa‘u Parade will travel down Front Street to Banyan Tree Park, where a hoolaulea will offer Maui-made products in addition to ono food, kids’ activities and live entertainment. The hoolaulea continues the next day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
>> Contact: Daryl Fujiwara, sfdhawaii@gmail.com
MOLOKAI
June 16, Kaunakakai
Molokai will observe Kamehameha Day with festivities on Father’s Day. A parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the intersection of Maunaloa and Kamehameha V highways and end at the Molokai Community Health Center, 30 Oki Place.
There, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., a luau and hoolaulea will also honor two respected Molokai elders — Pilipo Solatorio, cultural practitioner and caretaker of sacred Halawa Valley, and Pastor Jimmy Duvauchelle, a retired Molokai Ranch cowboy and Paniolo Hall of Fame inductee.
Cost is $25 per person; $10 for seniors aged 70 and older.
>> Contact: Lu Ann Lankford-Faborito, 808-349-1479 or kaluhiokalanik@aol.com
OAHU
June 7-8, Honolulu
On June 7 from 2 to 4 p.m., lei will be draped on the Kamehameha statue on South King Street. The next day, spectators will line South King Street, Punchbowl Street, Ala Moana Boulevard and Kalakaua Avenue for the 103rd annual King Kamehameha Celebration Floral Parade, which will begin at 9 a.m.
The parade’s theme is Ku‘upau a Kanile‘a Na Mele Kupuna (Play Without Restraint Until the Songs of Our Ancestors Resound Joyously). Grand marshals are Aaron David Mahi, former bandmaster of the Royal Hawaiian Band and conductor of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra (now the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra), and John Riggle, former band director at Kamehameha Schools Kapalama and Kailua High School and current managing director for Na Koa Alii, Hawaii’s all-state marching band.
From 4 to 10 p.m., Aloha Tower Marketplace in downtown Honolulu will host the King Kamehameha Celebration Hoolaulea featuring great food, continuous entertainment and sales of made-in-Hawaii products.
>> Contact: Amy Hammond, 586-0333
>> Email: kkcc@hawaii.gov
>> Website: hawaii.com/kamehamehaday
Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.
