Annual Kauikeaouli Festival celebrates birthday of Kamehameha III

Kamehameha Schools is once again paying tribute to Kamehameha III with a birthday celebration fit for a king.

The 22nd annual Kauikeaouli Festival, which commemorates the monarch’s birthday, is planned for March 17-18 at the Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa at Keauhou Bay in West Hawaiʻi on the Big Island, complete with a free ʻaha mele (concert) and cultural activities.

“Ka Lani Kauikeaouli recognized the importance of education in shaping the next generation of ʻōiwi leaders by founding Hawaiʻi’s public school system,” said Kilohana Hirano, Kamehameha Schools community engagement strategist for Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi, in a press release. “We are thrilled to be able to come together in person again to honor this visionary aliʻi.”

Kauikeaouli, Kamehameha III’s given name at birth, uplifted the people of Hawaiʻi through community and education. Each year, the festival highlights an organization with a similar mission. This year, Kamehameha Schools is proud to support the efforts of Hālau Kaʻeaikahelelani, an immersion school of Hawaiian arts and culture. A panel discussion with the hālau and kumu Nani Lim Yap of Hālau Manaola is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday.

Festivities continue at 9:30 a.m. Saturday with a craft fair and cultural workshops. You can register for the workshops by clicking here.

A concert from 5 to 8:30 p.m. will spotlight mele and hula performances by Kuana Torres Kahele, Grayden Haʻi Kelly, the Lim Family and Hālau Kaʻeaikahelelani.

This special tribute to Kauikeaouli by the Daughters of Hawaiʻi and Kamehameha Schools takes place each year with a ceremony at the historic place of his birth at Keauhou Bay.