KAMEHAMEHA DAY – A HAWAIIAN AND BIG ISLAND TRADITION

Whether you live on the big island, or are just visiting, you won’t want to miss the Kamehameha Day celebrations. Kamehameha Day is traditionally June 11, and this year’s festivities will kick off with the ever-popular Kamehameha Day Celebration Parade, beginning Saturday June 11 near the Royal Kona Resort at 9:00 AM. The parade travels a route that takes it past Kamakahonu by the pier and up Palani Road to Kuakini Highway.

As always, this year’s parade features equestrian units and hula halau dancers; the entire parade is adorned in the floral and colors of the Hawaiian Islands! After the parade you can relish in the ho’olauke’o, a music and arts festival like no other! There will be free concerts from Hawaiian recording artists, with breathtaking flora and fauna virtually everywhere. You can then visit the many participating shops, galleries and historic Hawaiian landmarks.

If you are visiting the big island, but have an interest in or intend to live on the big island, be sure to call Annette Mejia today at 808.217.8500 to learn more about living on the big island. Annette will ensure you are introduced to all the luxury homes for sale in Kona and the surrounding areas, and ensure your knowledge of Kona real estate is as plentiful and up to date as possible.

A Brief History of the Kamehameha Day Festival Honoring King Kamehameha

Kamehameha Day was initially established via a royal decree on December 22, 1871. It was decreed by King Kamehameha V as a national holiday. Kamehameha Day was intended to honor the memory of Kamehameha, the king’s great grandfather. He united the Hawaiian Islands in 1810 and became Hawaii’s first king. The first Kamehameha Day celebration took place on June 11, 1872. During early celebrations, each island would feature its own festivities. Following the overthrow of Queen Lili’uokalani in 1893, Kamehameha Day continued but the festivities all but ceased to exist.

Once the Hawaiian Islands became a U.S. Territory in 1898, the festivities were brought back by Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole who restored the Royal Order of Kamehameha in 1903, with the order restoring the festivities in 1904.