Polynesian Cultural Center breaks ground on Hawaii Village expansion

News admin October 4, 2026 0 Comments

Polynesian Cultural Center breaks ground on Hawaii Village expansion

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Polynesian Cultural Center broke ground Saturday on a major project to expand its Hawaiʻi Village experience.

The Hawaiʻi Village has begun the first phase of renovations and expansion, with plans for PCC’s North End to represent the Hawaiian Islands.

PCC said the Hawaiʻi Kauhale Project is designed to deepen guests’ understanding of traditional Hawaiian ways of life, agriculture and the relationship between people and the ʻāina.

“We’re grateful to everyone who has helped bring this vision to this point, and we look forward to seeing the project take shape. More than a new addition to the center, this is an opportunity to thoughtfully invest in the future of our Hawaiʻi Village and create new ways for our guests, students and community to engage with Hawaiʻi,” said Jarrod Hester, PCC president and CEO.

The project is inspired by the traditional Hawaiian kauhale, a family dwelling made up of multiple hale, or houses, each serving a distinct purpose. A kauhale also represented a place where families lived, worked, shared responsibilities and cared for the ʻāina together.

PCC said the expansion is rooted in Lāie’s history as puʻuhonua, or place of refuge, and highlights the aloha of pre-contact Hawaiʻi and the uka-to-kai, or upland-to-sea, connection that guided traditional sustainability and mālama, or stewardship and care, practices.

They also hope the expansion will help correct misconceptions made by movies or television.

“Some of our buildings, we’ll joke, the guests will be like, ‘oh, I see, Hawaiians invented laminated wood beams,’ you know, obviously we didn’t,” said Keanu Pohina Manoa, Hawaiʻi Islands manager at PCC. “So that’s one side that’s really cool is being able to better or more accurately portray things in Hawaiian culture.”

Renovations and expansion for the Hawaiʻi Village will be done in phases to ensure operations will continue to run as normal.

The project is expected to encompass more than 4.5 acres, more than 10% of the center’s total size. The full expansion is expected to be completed by 2028.