Message From Rick Egged
President of Waikiki Improvement Association
Aloha, Waikiki and romance go together like music and flowers. February brings us Valentine’s Day and what better locale to celebrate than romantic Waikiki? With great places to stay, eat and shop, Waikiki has everything you need for a Valentine’s getaway.
March cultural events brighten Waikiki with parades and events surrounding the Honolulu Festivals (Mar. 1-3), St. Patrick’s Day (Mar. 17) and the Prince Kuhio Commemoration Parade (Mar. 23).
The Honolulu Festival is a three-day extravaganza. Dance performances and traditional art demonstrations are displayed by artisans from Japan, Australia, Tahiti, Philippines, Republic of China (Taiwan), Korea, Hawai‘i and the rest of the United States. The Festival culminates with a spectacular parade down Kalakaua Avenue.
The Waikiki St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which includes bands, floats and various marching groups, will head down Kalakaua Avenue, past Kuhio Beach, and finish at Kapi‘olani Park for an afternoon of Irish food, music and entertainment.
The Prince Kuhio Day Parade, sponsored by the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, remembers the beloved Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana‘ole. Prince Kuhio, heir to the Hawaiian throne, founded the first Hawaiian Civic Club— and as Hawai‘i’s delegate to the United States Congress, led the passage of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1921. The people of the State of Hawai‘i acknowledge his many contributions and have memorialized the Prince by naming schools, buildings, streets and beaches after him, as well as designating a state holiday that honors Kuhio’s birth. The parade makes its way down Kalakaua Avenue to a ho‘olaule‘a at Kapi‘olani Park featuring Hawaiian and other crafts, great local food and, of course, the best in Hawaiian music.
An exciting new sports and recreational event, The Hapalua – Hawaii’s Half Marathon marks its second year on Saturday, Mar. 10. The event is open to all runners and walkers. It features The Chase, an exciting race pitting the best runners from Hawai‘i against top world-class runners.
Waikiki, as always, is Hawai‘i’s gathering place.
