News Release

Stellar lineup of performers and exhibitors announced for the Cultural Festival in Kahuku on July 22

Hula dancers perform at the 2019 cultural festival in Kahuku

NPS Photo/J.Wei

News Release Date: July 7, 2023

Contact: Jessica Ferracane, 808-985-6018

HAWAII NATIONAL PARK, Hawai‘i – Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is excited to announce a stellar lineup of local musicians, hula hālau, Hawaiian games and crafts plus local exhibitors and vendors for the 39th annual Cultural Festival happening in Kahuku on Saturday, July 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., free! 

Come and jam to Hawaiian and island-inspired music by renowned performers including Kenneth Makuakāne, Russell Mauga and Da Kahuku Mauka Boyz, the Kīpapa Sisters and Keʻaīwa, and enjoy hula by Hālau o Leionalani and LoriLei’s Hula Studio. Park Ranger Kekoa Rosehill will emcee. 

Learn about paniolo history at an exhibit hosted by the Kaʻū Multicultural Society, throw a rope with the local 4H Club, and expand your knowledge about Hawaiian medicinal plants with Momi Subiono. Make a tī leaf lei, ulana (weave) a lauhala keepsake with nā wahine of ʻAha Pūhala o Puna, and test your skills at a variety of pāʻani (Hawaiian games) led by park rangers. 

Entrance and activities are free! Food and refreshments will be available for purchase or pack a picnic. Vendors include Hawaiian food truck 4 Scoops of Aloha, and the Hawaiian Civic Club of Kaʻū will sell lunch plates. The Friends of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park will give away free ice shave minis and will sell the official 2023 festival T-shirt. The Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Assocation will assist visitors in the Kahuku park store. 

Participants can learn more about local conservation and sustainability efforts at exhibit tents sponsored by organizations that include Birds Not Mosquitoes, Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa), and the Hawaiʻi Ulu Co-Op. Park staff will lead short walks to the Kaʻū agricultural field system.  

The 39th annual Cultural Festival, with the theme of E Ho‘omau (“to continue”), will be a fun-filled, family-friendly day and is a drug- and alcohol-free event. Sunscreen and a hat are recommended. Bring water, rain jacket, and ground mat or chair. The cultural festival is co-sponsored by Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, the Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, and the Hawai‘i Pacific Parks Association.  
 
Kahuku is located on the mauka side of Highway 11 near mile marker 70.5 in Kaʻū , a 50-minute drive south of the park’s main entrance. 

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