Celebrate the life and legacy of Kamehameha III during the annual Kauikeaouli Festival

Kamehameha Schools Kaiāulu invites the community to celebrate the life and legacy of Kamehameha III at the 23rd annual Kauikeaouli Festival from March 15-17 at Keauhou Bay.

The birthday tribute will honor the ali‘i who envisioned Hawai‘i to be a place of education and enlightenment. Kamehameha Schools stewards 54 acres of ‘Ᾱina Pauahi – legacy lands from founder Ke Ali‘i Bernice Pauahi Bishop – surrounding Keauhou Bay.

Kauikeaouli, Kamehameha III, was the son of Kamehameha I and Keōpūolani, his revered and highest-ranking wife. Keauhou Bay holds a special significance as a sacred pana ʻāina where distinguished leaders like Kauikeaouli and renowned Hawaiian scholar David Malo were born.

“This celebration is an opportunity for people to connect with ʻāina that was so precious to Ka Lani Kauikeaouli,” said Kilohana Hirano, Kamehameha Schools community strategist for Hawaiʻi Island. “We welcome kānaka back to these culturally significant spaces.”

This year’s event partners are Kalanihale Miloli‘i, a nonprofit group from South Kona focused on youth education, environmental stewardship and cultural preservation, and Ho‘āla Kealakekua Nui, an organization dedicated to preserving Kealakekua Bay for future generations through restoration, education and outreach.

The theme for this year’s tribute is He Kīhoʻihoʻi Kānāwai – A Modern Application of Restoring Our Natural Resources. A panel discussion about the work in Hawaiʻi Island communities to restore natural resources will be held on March 15 at 5 p.m. at the Outrigger Kona Resort & Spa.

The festivities continue on March 16, starting at 9:30 a.m. with a craft fair and cultural workshops on lāʻau lapaʻau, oli, ʻulu recipes, and coral gardening at the Outrigger Kona Resort. Register for any workshops at www.kalanihale.org. A free concert with mele and hula begins at 5 p.m., featuring Kaʻikena Scanlan and These Guys, Miloliʻi Hula ʻOhana & Serenaders, Chadd Paishon and Friends, Hālau Kaulana Nā Pua, and a taiko performance by Kona Daifukuji Hongwanji.

On March 17, a special tribute by the Daughters of Hawaiʻi and Kamehameha Schools will take place at Keauhou Bay, the historic birthplace of Kauikeaouli. A talk story session starts at 8 a.m. at SeaQuest with Shane Akoni Palacat-Nelsen, followed by a procession to Kauikeaouli’s birth site at 8:45 a.m. to offer hoʻokupu.

For more information on the festival and the life of Kauikeaouli, visit www.ksbe.edu/kauikeaouli.