Oahu, Hawaii: Aloha Festivals parade to march on

It was a close call, but in the end, tradition won out. The 60-year-old Aloha Festivals parade almost got nixed from the events schedule this year due to lack of funding. But, among other contributing factors, the people rose up, a save-the-parade campaign rallied, money was raised and the Aloha Festivals Floral Parade was saved.

So, if you’re planning a trip soon to Oahu, Hawaii, you really must try to catch and savor the popular, culturally rich parade. It is scheduled for Sept. 13, 2008; and it begins at 9 a.m. at Ala Moana Beach Park in Waikiki. According to staff at the Hawaii Tourism Authority, which is sponsoring the event (though not running it), the festival is going through some reorganization, so check in with the festival website for current information; at time of research, parade details had not been added.

The other events planned for the Aloha Festivals, formerly known as Aloha Week, include the 2008 Royal Court Investiture, with traditional chanting and hula, on Sept. 11 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village; the opening ceremony at the Iolani Palace on Sept. 11; and, on the night of Sept. 12, the Waikiki Ho’olaule’a, a huge block party with food, entertainment, crafts and lots of vendors. The latter sounds like the event not to miss.

— Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Photo: Aloha Festivals Floral Parade 2007 / StarBulletin.com]

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This entry was posted on Sunday, July 27, 2008 at 7:37 am by Susan Derby and is filed under Arts & Culture, Festival, Hawaii, Islands & Beaches, Oahu. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.