Spend part of your holiday at Grand Naniloa for 2026 Hoʻākea Hilo Lā ʻOhana Day

Looking for a way to celebrate Prince Kūhiō Day with the family that will get you out of the house and feed your belly and brain?

Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo, located at 93 Banyan Drive in Hilo, is honored to host Hoʻākea Hilo Lā ʻOhana Day until 3 p.m. Thursday, March 26.

The free event is open to the public and features a Maritime Career Expo and Waʻa Lauleʻa, a canoe festival or celebration. Those who attend have an opportunity to explore waʻa and speak with crew members as well as a chance to connect with local organizations and community leaders.

Come explore waʻa on the hotel’s lawn to get a canoe experience, plus enjoy hands-on cultural and ʻāina-based activities. Oh, and there are grinds available when you’re hungry — before or after you fill up your brain.

It promises to be a fun-filled, family-friendly holiday outing, and you definitely still have time to make it.

Hoʻākea Hilo Lā ʻOhana Day — like the initiative it’s named for — aims to inspire curiosity, connection and kuleana to ʻāina and kai while uplifting the next generation of wayfinders, leaders and aloha ʻāina stewards.

Lā ʻOhana Day is your chance to be part of the initiative. It is the only public event of the 4-day Hoʻākea Hilo, bringing together haumāna, ʻohana and the community

Hoʻākea Hilo returned this week, with nearly 1,800 Big Island students from Nāʻālehu to Laupāhoehoe set for excursions to five different sites where they learn about ecosystems, teamwork, navigation and stewardship through hands-on experiences.

ʻImiloa Astronomy Center, Reed’s Bay, Richardson Ocean Park and Mokupāpapa Discovery Center are just a few of the places involved with the 4 days of living classrooms from March 24-27.

Hoʻākea uses ʻāina and waʻa to teach students by doing, exploring and connecting what they learn in school to the places and people around them.

“This is a great partnership that helps our students and community connect with ʻāina and voyaging traditions!” said Hawaiʻi County Department of Recreation in a Tuesday, March 24, post on Facebook.

Ho‘ākea Hilo is part of the statewide Ho‘ākea: Mauka to Makai learning initiative, connecting students to Hawai‘i’s land, ocean and communities through hands-on, place-based learning.

“Ho‘ākea supports Hawai‘i’s vision of graduates who are globally competitive and locally committed, preparing students to succeed in school and in life while staying connected to the people and places that shape them,” says the initiative website.

The initiative helps students understand who they are, where they come from and how learning connects to the real world.

“Through meaningful experiences rooted in culture and place, students build curiosity, confidence and responsibility,” says the Ho‘ākea: Mauka to Makai website. “They learn alongside teachers, cultural practitioners and community partners, developing academic skills while strengthening their sense of belonging and purpose.”