The Aloha Festivals are an annual series of free cultural celebrations observed in the state of Hawaii in the United States based on the Makahiki, the beginning of the Native Hawaiian year marked by the sighting of the Pleiades (Makali'i).
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The Aloha Festivals are an annual series of free cultural celebrations observed in the state of Hawaii in the United States based on the Makahiki, the beginning of the Native Hawaiian year marked by the sighting of the Pleiades (Makali'i).
01 · What it is
Living Tradition
Documented cultural tradition on record; family classification awaits an editor.
02 · Where & name
United States of America
Placed on record in United States of America.
03 · How it is doing
□□□□ (Not yet assessed)
Documented in open cultural records, but no cited field assessment of its current vitality has been added here yet.
04 · Proof & reuse
2 cited sources
Every claim links to a public record below. Free to quote, teach, and share under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Chapter Takeaways
EstablishmentIn the spirit of preserving the Hawaiian culture and heritage, the Aloha Festivals were established in 1946 as Aloha Week by former members of the local Junior Chamber of Commerce.
Scaling downThe festival was celebrated on six of Hawaii's islands, but in 2008 festival organizers decided to hold most events on Oahu due to a lack of funding.
Presentation of the Royal CourtThe court is selected from a pool of applicants, all of whom must be of Hawaiian ancestry and of certain ages.
Floral ParadeThe Floral Parade starts at the intersection of Ala Moana Boulevard and Kamakee st.
Common Questions Answered on Record
What is Aloha Festivals in plain words?
The Aloha Festivals are an annual series of free cultural celebrations observed in the state of Hawaii in the United States based on the Makahiki, the beginning of the Native Hawaiian year marked by the sighting of the Pleiades (Makali'i).
Where is Aloha Festivals practised or documented?
Sources on this page place Aloha Festivals in United States of America.
What is the current condition of Aloha Festivals today?
□□□□ (Not yet assessed): Documented in open cultural records, but no cited field assessment of its current vitality has been added here yet.
How do I cite or share this Aloha Festivals entry?
Cite as: "Aloha Festivals." folkroom, https://folkroom.org/art-forms/aloha-festivals, text CC BY-SA, with attribution.
The Aloha Festivals are an annual series of free cultural celebrations observed in the state of Hawaii in the United States based on the Makahiki, the beginning of the Native Hawaiian year marked by the sighting of the Pleiades (Makali'i). It is the only statewide cultural festival in the nation. Highlights include the presentation of the Royal Court, a ho'olaule'a in Waikiki, and the Floral Parade. Approximately 30,000 people volunteer to plan, organize, and provide labor for the Aloha Festivals each year. Their efforts entertain over 1,000,000 people from throughout the state and visitors from all over the world. 1
Establishment
In the spirit of preserving the Hawaiian culture and heritage, the Aloha Festivals were established in 1946 as Aloha Week by former members of the local Junior Chamber of Commerce. The former manager of the festivals, Goriann Akau, has said, "In 1946, after the war, Hawaiians needed an identity. We were lost and needed to regroup. When we started to celebrate our culture, we began to feel proud. We have a wonderful culture that had been buried for a number of years. This brought it out again. Self-esteem is more important than making a lot of money." 1
Scaling down
The festival was celebrated on six of Hawaii's islands, but in 2008 festival organizers decided to hold most events on Oahu due to a lack of funding. There was also the chance that the Floral Parade would be cancelled altogether, but it was saved by private donors and funds from the City and County of Honolulu.
No Aloha festival was held in 2020. That was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a year which had many disruptions. However it did resume in 2021. 1
Presentation of the Royal Court
The court is selected from a pool of applicants, all of whom must be of Hawaiian ancestry and of certain ages. The festival itself begins with the presentation of the royal court during the opening ceremony. The ceremony takes place at Helumoa, a section of Waikiki near the Royal Hawaiian Center. 1
Floral Parade
The Floral Parade starts at the intersection of Ala Moana Boulevard and Kamakee st. and goes through Waikiki before finishing at Kapiolani Park. The parade features p'au riders, marching bands, hula halaus, and that year's Aloha Festival Royal Court. 1
Hoʻolauleʻa
The Hoʻolauleʻa is a block party held in Waikiki. There is Hawaiian music, hula, and food. Attendance is typically in the thousands. 1
The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Aloha Festivals”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. 1
Aloha Festivals is annual series of celebrations held in Hawaii, USA, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. 2
The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation. 2