Aloha Festivals Floral Parade proceeds Saturday on Oahu despite Hurricane Nolo

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – On Oʻahu, a major floral festival in Waikiki will continue Saturday as Hurricane Nolo lingers south of the state.

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On Friday, preparations were underway at the Hawaii Convention Center for the 78th annual Aloha Festivals Floral Parade.

The Aloha Festivals Floral Parade begins Saturday at 9 a.m. at Ala Moana Regional Park and Magic Island, traveling along Kalākaua Avenue through Waikīkī before ending at Kapiʻolani Park.

Inside the convention center, hundreds of volunteers spent days decorating elaborate floats adorned with native greenery and fresh blossoms.

Adorned with lush flowers and bright colors, the Liliʻuokalani Trust’s theme for its float this year is “Ulu Hai Malama” (The Queen’s Garden).

The festival’s 2026 pāʻū queen, Faith Kalama of Papakōlea, earned the royal distinction after accomplishing a rare equestrian milestone.

“History has it that you have to ride all eight islands to become a queen,” Kalama said. “Today, it’s hard to find our pa’u riders to complete all eight islands. Fortunately, I was one of those that did complete all eight islands. Therefore, this year I am riding as a queen and honoring our last reigning monarch, which is Queen Liliʻuokalani.”

Kalama will ride in purple, the favorite color of Queen Liliʻuokalani, adorned with elements meaningful to the monarch.

“Our queen’s favorite color is purple. Her favorite imagery is the butterfly, and her favorite flower is the pua kalaunu, which is the purple crown (flower),” Kalama said. “So all those things we will be utilizing in our leis, as well as the decorations in our unit.”

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Each festival queen selects the distinct style for her unit, and Kalama drew inspiration directly from Queen Liliʻuokalani’s era.

“The style that we are using this year goes back to the era of our queen, which is the high top hat for our Victorian look for our women, and just the attire of going back into those days,” Kalama said. “And I’ve asked our princesses of all the other islands to use that same attire, but in white.”

Among the other groups participating is Nā Pua O Koʻolaupoko, whose float reflects this year’s festival theme, “80 Years of Aloha.”

The float also honors the next generation, showcasing keiki dancers positioned at the front.

“So we have a timeline past, present and future. So past we have a symbol of kumu hula. She is beating the drum, sending a leo to the community, and then in the middle, we will be dancing on the floor,” said Shiori Kaimilani Koehler. “And then here there is a keiki. They are the pua, the future generation. And then they will be dancing as well.”

“So how we share the aloha is through hula because we are hālau hula,” said Jasmine Peacock-Castro.

The float’s creation brought together dancers and families across multiple generations to prepare for the procession.

“This is a collaboration of all,” Koehler said. “We unite our hālau with this process. We plan together. We work together, we make together.”

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