Honolulu Festival to go virtual for first time in its history
STAR-ADVERTISER / MARCH 2018
The Grand Parade of the 24th annual Honolulu Festival featured groups and performers from Asia, the Pacific and Hawaii and included marchers, marching bands and floats going down Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki.
The annual, three-day Honolulu Festival will go virtual for the first time in its 27-year history, the Honolulu Festival Foundation announced today.
The festival, which usually takes place the second weekend of March in Waikiki, celebrates the traditions, arts and music of cultural groups from throughout Hawaii, the Pacific Rim, and nations around the world.
Last year, the Honolulu Festival was canceled to comply with state and county regulations to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. At the start of this year, organizers announced its cancellation for the second year in a row due to the pandemic.
Instead, the festival will be presented as a one-hour broadcast special on Hawaii News Now featuring past cultural performances.
“Honolulu Festival: Pacific Harmony Through Cultural Exchange,” will premiere at 7 p.m. Saturday on K5, with encore presentations at 8 p.m. Sunday on KHNL and 7 p.m. on March 19 on KGMB. It will also be streamed online.
“This special program will showcase the ethnic beauty of the Honolulu Festival and its timeless message of goodwill, unity and peace among all people,” said Hiroyuki “Keith” Kitagawa, president of the Honolulu Festival Foundation, in a news release. “We look forward to bringing the festival back next year when it is safe to gather in person so that everyone can enjoy the wonderful performances and events that make this cultural celebration in Honolulu unique from anywhere else in the world.”
The Honolulu Festival typically attracts thousands of participants and tens of thousands of attendees with free music, dance and arts presentations, the Waikiki Grand Parade, and Nagaoka Fireworks Show.
