{"id":1305,"date":"2026-06-13T09:04:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T09:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1305"},"modified":"2026-06-13T09:04:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T09:04:19","slug":"pan-pacific-festival-hoolaulea-kicks-off-busy-weekend-for-waikiki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1305","title":{"rendered":"Pan-Pacific Festival hoolaulea kicks off busy weekend for Waikiki"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<section>\n<p>HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) &#8211; Thousands of people jammed Kalakaua Avenue Friday evening for the annual Pan-Pacific Festival Hoolaulea. <\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1303\">Crowd gathers for King Kamehameha lei draping in downtown Honolulu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The event marked the start of a very busy weekend for Waikiki.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cForty-three years ago we needed more tourists to come in during the slow season, and so it started as the \u2018Matsuri in Hawaii,\u2019\u201d said Pan-Pacific Foundation board chair Christine Kubota. \u201cSo it started with a lot of groups from Japan showing the cultural aspects of their background in Japan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re thinking about our history, the two, Japan and Hawaii,\u201d said Hawaiian cultural advisor Leilani Kahoano. \u201cThere has always been this very strong relationship with each other,\u201d one that she said started during the reign of King David Kalakaua.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>While there are a lot of locals in the crowd, visitors staying in Waikiki can\u2019t help but get caught up in the experience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn terms of the liveliness and the experience that I\u2019m getting here, it\u2019s very nice. I\u2019m learning a lot about the culture as well,\u201d said Rama Razavi, a visitor from Toronto, Canada.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe participation of people who come from Japan is great, from people from all over the world come to these festivals right here in Hawaii,\u201d said longtime local entertainer Kimo Kahoano.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s been a wonderful experience at the beach, it\u2019s gorgeous. So we\u2019ll be back, for sure,\u201d said Daniel Palmer, also visiting from Toronto.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s also the weekend for the annual Kamehameha Day floral parade, which will make its way from Iolani Palace beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday. It will wind down Kalakaua to Kapiolani Park, where a hoolaulea will be held.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1301\">Gov. Green signs executive order protecting solar tax credits<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Then there\u2019s the Pan-Pacific Festival Parade itself, which will go down Kalakaua Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m., followed by more hula on the beach.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo be able to share this street, Kalakaua, with our Japanese guests and the organizations that are here to support them, it\u2019s nice that we were also to bring mention to our Kamehameha weekend,\u201d said Leilani Kahoano.<\/p>\n<p>While having these events is a positive and fun experience for many, it can also disrupt Hawaii\u2019s tourism hub.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWhen you block down all of those streets, it just makes it a nightmare for traffic, for cars, and deliveries as well,\u201d said Jerry Agrusa, a professor at the U.H. School of Travel Industry Management.<\/p>\n<p>This is the first year of a new law that reduces the number of events that shut down Kalakaua Avenue. The city is allowing 14 legacy events to continue to use the thoroughfare, including the Pan-Pacific hoolaulea and both of this weekend\u2019s parades.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were scared for a little while, but we said we\u2019ve been doing this for 40-plus years, please let us stay,\u201d said Kubota. \u201cAnd so yes, now we\u2019re a legacy event and so we\u2019re not so worried any more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1299\">Suspect charged with murder in Liliha man\u2019s death<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kalakaua Avenue will also be closed Saturday for the King Kamehameha Day parade and again Sunday for the Pan-Pacific Festival parade.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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