Posted on: Friday, June 9, 2006
Love a parade? Go for a double
Advertiser Staff
If it's June, it must be ... festival time! Yes, there are two biggies — the King Kamehameha Celebration and Pan-Pacific Matsuri in Hawaii — this weekend, each culminating in a grand parade.
KING KAMEHAMEHA CELEBRATION
A tribute to the king who united the Islands, this observance, themed "Mo'olelo Aloha (Stories of Love)," is in its 134th year. On O'ahu, festivities continue June 23-24, too; Maui and Kaua'i celebrate June 17. The lineup:
Statue decoration, 4 p.m. today. The statue of King Kamehameha I, in front of Ali'iolani Hale, will be draped with 13-foot lei. There's music and hula, too, and the Royal Hawaiian band will perform at 3:30 p.m. Free.
Floral parade, from 9:30 a.m. Saturday, starting at King and Richards streets downtown, going along King Street, Punchbowl, Ala Moana and Kalakaua, and ending at Kapi'olani Park. Musical trio The Makaha Sons will be the grand marshals; KITV's Paula Akana will be the pa'u queen; James Kekoalani Hyde Jr., of Wai'anae, will portray Kamehameha. Marching bands, vehicles, floats and pa'u riders add to the pageantry. Awards will be announced after the parade. Free.
Na Hana No'eau O Ka Pakipika, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Kapi'olani Park. Hawaiian games, cultural demonstrations, music and food booths will fill this festival. Free admission.
33rd annual King Kamehameha Hula Competition, from 6 p.m. June 23 and 1 p.m. June 24, Blaisdell Arena. Halau from Maui, O'ahu, California and Japan will take part. Tickets — on sale June 19 — are $8.50, $10, $12 and $20. www.hulacomp.com, www.ticketmaster.com.
586-0333, www.hawaii.gov/dags/agencies/king_kamehameha_commission
PAN-PACIFIC MATSURI
The celebration, now in its 27th year, promotes good will between the Islands and the rest of the Pacific.
Highlights include:
Ho'olaule'a, 7 to 10 p.m. today on Kalakaua Avenue, from Lewers Street to Ka'iulani. Expect food booths, multicultural exhibits and entertainment such as taiko drumming, Japanese folk dance and hula. Former sumo star Konishiki and friends will take the stage in concert, too. And Hiroshi "Harold" Hishinuma — who was awarded the Pan-Pacific Silversword Award for preserving cultural arts — and the Honolulu Fukushima Bon Dance Club of which he is vice president, will be among the performers on the bon dance stage in front of the Moana. Admission is free.
BioKite demonstration and exhibit, noon to 2:30 p.m. Saturday (as part of the Kamehameha celebration's Na Hana No'eau O Ka Pakipika) and 12:30 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Kapi'olani Park. What, you ask is a BioKite? Invented by Japan's Toshio Ito, these kites are more aerodynamic, easier to launch and can fly higher and longer than regular kites. Free.
6th annual hula festival, noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Ala Moana's Centerstage, featuring dancers from around the Pacific Rim.
Performing Arts Showcase, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. today, 3:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday and noon to 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Ala Moana's Centerstage.; and 1 to 3 p.m. today, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center stage. Traditional Japanese performances and groups from Hawai'i will be showcased. Free.
Parade, 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, beginning at Fort DeRussy, along Kalakaua Avenue and ending at Kapi'olani Park. More than 1,000 marchers are expected to take part in a colorful procession that also includes floats from Japan. Free.
www.pan-pacific-festival.com
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