Hula and Hawaii’s culture will again be on display this Saturday at the 33rd annual Cultural Festival at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
Park entrance fees will be waived all day for the event scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thousands typically attend the gala event being held at the Kahua Hula, or traditional hula platform, at Ka`auea, located south of Kilauea Visitor Center.
“Festival participants can learn to strum the ‘ukulele, play Hawaiian games, weave a coconut basket and lauhala bracelet, make feather kahili and traditional lei,” the park said in a statement.
“They can savor the flavors of Hawaii by sampling taro, sweet potato, sugar cane, and breadfruit. Skillful cultural practitioners will demonstrate how to beat kapa, weave a lauhala hat, sew a feather lei, plant a native garden, use plants as medicine and more.”
Lauhala hats and lei on display at a previous cultural festival at the park. Courtesy photo.
As usual, the festival’s entertainment is an extravaganza of traditional Hawaiian culture. It includes performances by such notable hula groups and entertainers as Keiki o Hālau o Kekuhi, Hālau Ulumamo o Hilo Palikū, Hula Hālau Ke ‘Ōlu Makani o Mauna Loa, Leabert Lindsey, Ben Ka‘ili and Diana Aki.
“This event honors, preserves and perpetuates Hawaiian culture and supports Hawaiian programs, practitioners, hālau and musicians,” a park spokeswoman said.
Attendees are encouraged to wear sunscreen and a hat and to bring water, rain jacket, and ground mat or chair. No pets are allowed.
Hawaiian crafts, plate lunches, non-alcoholic beverages and festival T-shirts will be offered for sale.
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