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Contact: Jessica Ferracane, 808-985-6018
NPS Photo/Jay Robinson This year’s festival honors the park’s centennial anniversary and connects visitors and the community to the culture, biology and geology of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve. Themed E Ho‘omau (to perpetuate; to continue in a way that causes good to be long-lasting), the 36th annual cultural festival invites people of all ages to engage in authentic Hawaiian cultural practices and learn how native Hawaiians lived closely to the land as its stewards. Enjoy hula and music, watch skilled practitioners demonstrate their art, and try Hawaiian crafts. Performers include Hālau o Akaunu with Manaiakalani Kalua, Kenneth Makuakāne, Kai Ho‘opi‘i, and Diana Aki, plus many more.
This year’s festival will again include a “BioBlitz,” a hands-on opportunity for families and individuals to observe and document the biodiversity that thrives in the lava flows and native rainforests of Kīlauea volcano. In mid-July, participants will be able to sign up for any of the BioBlitz field inventories, which include “Hiding in Plain Sight: the Insects and Spiders of the Park,” a birding excursion “Feathers in the Forest,” and “Na Mea o Kanu o Ka Hula (The Plants of Hula),” on the Friends of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park website. The field inventories are led by experts at the forefront of conservation, science and traditional Hawaiian culture.
The BioBlitz runs from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the cultural festival is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 27. Entrance and all events are free. 2016 is the 100th anniversary for Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. To find out what’s happening throughout 2016, visit the park website. It’s also the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and to learn about centennial events at other national parks, visit FindYourPark.com.
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Last updated: June 9, 2016