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Cultural Festivals

Oahu is blessed with a rich and colorful, cultural heritage and we celebrate our multi-cultural roots with festivals all year-round. We start the year with a bang as the noise of firecrackers and the colorful acrobatics of the Lion dancers fill the streets of Downtown Honolulu during Chinese New Year festivities. The fun continues with the Filipino Fiesta and Parade featuring over 100 floats and traditional food, crafts and entertainment. Join the line of local dancers during Bon Dance season, where Buddhist temples throughout Oahu celebrate the Obon tradition to honor their ancestors through evenings of dance and music. Oahu provides you a perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in festivals that not only celebrate Hawaii but the people and the cultural diversity that makes our island home so special. Experience Aloha in a whole new way.

MAJOR CULTURAL FESTIVALS ON OAHU

FEBRUARY
CHINESE NEW YEAR – Celebrate Chinese New Year in Oahu's Chinatown and listen to the loud booming of the firecrackers, watch the lion dancers parade through the streets, and smell the delicious Chinese food cooking. There will be lots of great Chinese food booths, entertainment, lion dances, pageants and more. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first lunar month of year which can be anywhere between late January through mid-February. For more information, please visit www.chinatownhi.com

MARCH
HONOLULU FESTIVAL - The annual Honolulu Festival celebrates cultures from across the Pacific. This three-day celebration of art, music, dance, and crafts is filled with spectacular sights and sounds, including aboriginal dance performances, cultural demonstrations and a vibrant parade through Waikiki. For more information, please visit www.honolulufestival.com

MAY
WORLD-FIRE KNIFE COMPETITION - Competitors from around the world come to the Polynesian Cultural Center every year to vie for the title of world's best fire knife dancer. See who can brave the flaming (Samoan knife) nifooti while twisting, turning and performing innovative routines never seen before. The stunning visual displays keep spectators on the edge of their seats. For more information please visit www.polynesia.com

FILIPINO FIESTA - The Annual Filipino Parade, Fiesta and Santacruzan is a colorful and cultural day of festivities. The parade is complete with floats, marching bands, Ati-Atihan and Sinulog dancers and is led by the Royal Hawaiian Band. The Fiesta will be a celebration of Filipino culture and includes a regional cultural village showcasing the various regions of the Philippines and a Keiki Village featuring various Filipino children's games. There are food booths with Filipino and local delicacies, entertainment featuring local and Philippine-based artists and for the festival's finale, a Santacruzan is being held for the first time. This popular religious May festival in the Philippines showcases Filipino beauties representing various historical and religious figures.

JUNE
LANTERN FLOATING CEREMONY - Every year on Memorial Day, thousands of people gather together at Magic Island at Ala Moana Beach Park to honor ancestors and loved ones who have passed away. More than 1,100 candle-lit lanterns are set afloat on the ocean, a traditional Buddhist rite originating in Japan. The ceremony also combines the local culture of hula with the Japanese Shomyo Choir and Taiko drums. For more information please visit www.lanternfloatinghawaii.com

PAN PACIFIC FESTIVAL-MATSURI This special three-day celebration begins with Hawaiian festivities including a block party where more than 40,000 people come to enjoy the entertainment and food. The celebration includes a hula festival held at Ala Moana Center, where spectators have the rare opportunity to see hula groups from Japan perform with Hawaiian hula halau (schools) and then the event culminates with a grand parade along Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki. For more information please visit www.pan-pacific-festival.com

OBON DANCES AND FESTIVALS (JUNE – AUGUST) - Buddhist temples throughout the islands celebrate the Obon tradition, which was brought to Hawaii by Japanese immigrants and has evolved into a social and cultural event. Experience a part of Oahu's rich culture, which is designed to honor ancestors through an evening of dance, music and merrymaking. Dances and festivals are held at different temples on various dates throughout the summer.

JULY
KOREAN FESTIVAL - Enjoy the very best in Korean music, dance, food, cultural displays and family activities, as well as Korean-made and local products. Have fun with Korean cooking demonstrations, a Kimchee eating contest, a Korean Youth Singing Contest, and all-day entertainment and performances by local Korean dance studios, and others. For more information please visit www.hkccweb.org.

SEPTEMBER
OKINAWAN FESTIVAL – Join in the fun at the largest ethnic festival in the state of Hawaii. A parade through Waikiki featuring entertainers from Okinawa and Hawaii kicks off the three-day festival celebrating Okinawan culture with food, entertainment, arts, crafts, and cultural activities. To help cap off the festivities, everyone is invited to participate in Hawaii's largest traditional Japanese Obon dance. For more information please visit www.okinawanfestival.com