Waikōloa Lei Day Festival on April 30 to celebrate art, culture, history

In honor of Lei Day, the second annual Waikōloa Lei Day Festival will be held on April 30 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at several venues.

The festival will include education and interactive lei-making activities for keiki, kūpuna, families and visitors. There also will be live music, a craft fair, farmers market, keiki fun zone and cocktail contest. It is hosted by Waikōloa Beach Resort, Waikōloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Kings’ Shops and Queens’ Marketplace.

“This festival allows us to honor the rich and storied tradition of lei making in Hawaiʻi with our local community and those visiting our island,” said Bryson Lanakila Diprete, guest activity coordinator a Waikōloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. “We’re humbled to have the opportunity to engage with the community and celebrate this connection to our culture.”

The festival activities:

• Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa: (8 a.m. to 2 p.m.) Kamaʻāina and visitors can shop for local goods at a craft market and enjoy a lei exhibition, workshops and contests featuring haku and wili lei. Entertainment by local musicians and hula by Ms. Kona Coffee will be held throughout the day.

• Kings’ Shops: (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) Expert bartenders from around the island will compete in the first annual Kings’ Cup Cocktail Contest. There will be an outdoor bar. Local musicians and entertainers will engage attendees, and vendors will offer their locally grown fruits, vegetables, breads and more at an onsite farmers market. Keiki will have the opportunity to join in on the celebration with a Keiki Fun Zone, inclusive of interactive activities, bouncy houses and ʻono treats.

• Queens’ Marketplace: (2 p.m. to 7 p.m.) Visitors at Queens’ Marketplace can participate in crown flower, ti leaf, maile, plumeria and mixed flower lei-making workshops and a lei po‘o (haku lei) demonstration. The center will host a special lauhala weaving demonstration and share the history and significance of lauhala weaving, and guests can create a lauhala punch lei. Local musicians and Halau O Po‘ohala will perform live throughout the event; and the center will offer a sidewalk sale with offerings from select retailers and restaurants. There also will be face painting and lawn games. All activities are free to the public. Workshops are limited to first-come, first-serve. 

To learn more about the second annual Waikōloa Lei Day Festival, click here.