Upcoming Big Island Festivals and Events

The 37th Annual Prince Lot Hula Festival

Clients looking to pair up a Hawaii vacation with a festival or event should check out these upcoming events on Hawaii Island.

On June 11, thousands of people will gather on the northern tip of Hawaii Island to commemorate the North Kohala Kamehameha Day Celebration in tribute to King Kamehameha I, the chief who was born in North Kohala and united the Hawaiian Islands in 1975. The day of festivities includes lei decorations of the original King Kamehameha statue, a traditional floral parade, and a music festival with award-winning Hawaiian musicians at Kamehameha Park.

Visit www.kamehamehadaycelebration.org
 
From July 3-4, the Lanai Pineapple Festival celebrates Lanai’s history of pineapple plantations and ranching. The two-day event features a parade, a pineapple cooking contest, food, arts and crafts, games, entertainment, exhibits, and a fantastic fireworks display in Lanai City’s Dole Park.

Visit www.lanaipineapplefestival.com
 

Held on Kauai’s south shore from July 17-26, Koloa Plantation Days brings residents and visitors together in the area where Hawaii’s first sugar plantation was founded in 1835 to learn about Koloa’s multicultural history, experience a diverse range of local foods, culture and activities, and explore the area’s unique ecology and archaeology. The 10-day family-oriented festival also includes rodeo and sporting events, live music, culinary demonstrations, craft fairs, guided walks and hikes, and the historic parade and park celebration.

Visit www.koloaplantationdays.com.
 
The 38th Annual Prince Lot Hula Festival on Oahu has been expanded to two days, July 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and July 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Held at the Moanalua Gardens, the largest non-competitive hula event in Hawaii honors Prince Lot Kapuaiwa, who revived the once forbidden hula in the district of Moanalua. Opening this year’s festival is an impressive lineup of premier hula groups who will perform ancient and contemporary hula.

Visit www.moanaluagardensfoundation.org

 
Duke’s OceanFest, Waikiki’s ocean sports festival on Oahu, will be held from August 22-30 at venue sites throughout Waikiki, where hundreds of competitors and ocean sports aficionados will gather to celebrate in honor of legendary Duke Kahanamoku. Duke’s OceanFest features a variety of ocean and beach competitions that were close to Kahanamoku’s heart including longboard surfing, paddleboard racing, swimming, tandem surfing, surf polo, and beach volleyball. 

Visit www.dukesoceanfest.com
 
Celebrating its fifth anniversary from August 29 to September 13, the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival will feature more than 150 master chefs, farmers, top-tier wine makers, mixologists and brewmasters from Hawaii and around the globe across three islands, Hawaii Island, Maui and Oahu. Co-founded by two of Hawaii’s own James Beard Award-winning chefs, Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong, the festival will showcase wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, excursions, a golf tournament and exclusive dining opportunities highlighting the state’s bounty of fresh ingredients sourced from local farmers, fishermen and food purveyors.

Visit www.hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com

Visit www.gohawaii.com and keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for all the latest Hawaii news.