By Staff Reports
(Honolulu)– O‘AHU – While the celebration of all things lei is held on the first of May, you can now show your love for this universal symbol of aloha starting on Valentine’s Day!
The City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation’s annual Lei Day Celebration is nominated as one of the “Best Flower Festivals” in the United States. Now we need your help to show the rest of the country that this celebration is no ka oi (number one)!
From now through Sunday, March 2, 2025 everyone is invited to take part in this contest by voting online at:
bit.ly/voteleiday
You can vote several times a day, so make sure to check back in based on the contest’s clock. The winners of the contest will be announced in mid-March.
Lei Court Selection
Also in the beginning of March, DPR invites you to experience the beauty and pageantry of the Lei Court ‘Ohana during the Lei Court Selection.
The event is scheduled for Saturday, March 1, 2025 beginning 9 a.m. at Kapolei Hale.
During the selection, participants will display their lei-making abilities, hula performance, poise, personality, and public speaking in English and Hawaiian. Each year, the Lei Court Selection rotates through four age brackets. This year is Nā Mākua (the Adults) and will feature three amazing candidates:
- Kuʻuleialoha Llanos
- Pualeilani Kamahoahoa
- Xian Pomare
Once selected, the Lei Court will preside over the 97th Annual Lei Day Celebration festivities, and will be the City’s Ambassadors of Aloha at a variety of public events throughout 2025.
This year’s Lei Day Celebration will be on Thursday, May 1, 2025, at the Kapi‘olani Park, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. In preparation for the annual celebration of lei, DPR staff will provide free lei-making workshops at various sites on O‘ahu. DPR lei-making classes are posted via the online registration system at pros.hnl.info
History
The lei is known the world over a symbol of aloha. Great care is taken in the gathering of the materials before they are fashioned into a lei. As this is done, the mana (spirit) of the creator of the lei is sewn or woven into it. Therefore, when you give a lei you are giving a part of you. Likewise, as you receive a lei, you are receiving a part of its creator.
While lei have been crafted and given in Polynesian culture for thousands of years, the first Lei Day Celebration was celebrated on May 1, 1927 with a few people wearing lei in downtown Honolulu. Over time, more and more people began to wear lei on May 1, and thus began the tradition of “May Day is Lei Day in Hawai‘i.” The first lei Queen, Miss Nina Bowman, was crowned by then Honolulu Mayor Charles Arnold in 1928.
Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when large, in-person events were restricted, our island community found innovative ways to celebrate this uniquely Hawaiian holiday. This included a video presentation to mark Lei Day in 2021, and the Nā Lei Koa in 2020 to honor our first responders.
Today, the celebration is held throughout Queen Kapiʻolani Napelakapuokakaʻe’s namesake park on the first of May (regardless of the day of the week, rain or shine).
The all-day event features a wide variety of island musical & hula performances, Hawaiian cultural protocol, the world renowned Lei Contest, lei-making workshops, artisans and merchants all in a family friendly setting!
The Lei Court ‘Ohana reign over the festivities, which begin with a performance from the fabled Royal Hawaiian Band (the only municipal band in the country). Then the court enters the parks bandstand, greeted with hula and giving of ho‘okupu (gifts), during the Lei Court Ceremony. Once the ceremony is complete, the court inspects and officially opens the Lei Contest for public viewing. The coveted Lei Contest Exhibit showcases some of the world’s most exquisitely handcrafted lei in a variety of materials, colors, and styles.
The public viewing of these lei lasts throughout the rest of the celebration, and is finalized on May 2 during the closing ceremony at Mauna ‘Ala (The Royal Mausoleum) and Kawaiāha‘o Church. At that time, flower lei from the Lei Contest are placed on the graves of Hawai‘i’s ali‘i (royalty) as a final display of mahalo and aloha.
Never experienced a Lei Day Celebration in person? This DPR YouTube video will give you an idea of the magic and beauty of this time-honored tradition.
Numerous community and governmental agencies support this time-honored tradition, including the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority and Hula Grill Waikīkī. For more information about all things Lei Day Celebration visit this timeless tradition’s dedicated website at: bit.ly/HonoluluLeiDay
If you need an auxiliary aid/service, other accommodations due to a disability, or an interpreter for a language other than English in reference to this announcement, please contact the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation at (808) 768-3003 on weekdays from 7:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. or email parks@honolulu.gov at least three business days before the scheduled event. Without sufficient advanced notice, it may not be possible to fulfill requests.