Waikoloa resorts mark Lei Day with music, hula, crafts and contests

Kings’ Shops and Queens’ Marketplace will turn Waikoloa into a walking circuit of music, hula, crafts and local sales on Saturday, as the resort’s Lei Day celebration spreads foot traffic across the Kohala Coast instead of concentrating it in one place. The free, family-friendly festival will run from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and is designed to pull kamaāina and visitors through both shopping centers, where vendors, performers and artisans will share space with the annual Lei Contest.

The day will begin at 1:45 p.m. with a traditional aloha oli by Halau Kawehileimamoikawekiuokohala under kumu hula Lorna Lim, setting a cultural tone before the afternoon program opens up with live Hawaiian music and hula. The lineup includes Ka Hui Hoa with Sean Parks, Kapono Lopes and Heua Dai-Dudoit at 2 p.m., Halau E Hulali I Ka La at 3 p.m., Kamaui at 4 p.m. and a return appearance by Halau Kawehileimamoikawekiuokohala at 5 p.m. Kings’ Shops says the event is supported by Waikoloa Beach Resort, Traditions Hawai‘i and Hale Kua.

At Queens’ Marketplace, the Lei Contest will anchor the hands-on side of the celebration. The contest will use three traditional categories, wili, haku and kui, with registration from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and a $10 entry fee. Judging is scheduled from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., public viewing from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and an awards ceremony at 5 p.m. at the Coronation Pavilion Main Stage. Queens’ Marketplace says the festival will also include cultural performances, hands-on activities and a marketplace with local artisans, eateries and vendors.

The commercial impact is part of the point. Curated vendors are set to sell handcrafted lei, floral accessories, apparel, artisan goods and refreshments, giving small businesses and entertainers a single afternoon to reach steady resort traffic. For Waikoloa, where many businesses depend on both residents and tourists, the event functions as a cultural showcase and a revenue driver at the same time.

Lei Day in Waikoloa also fits into a much longer statewide tradition. Honolulu officials say the first Lei Day celebration was held in 1927, while Kamehameha Schools marks the first official Lei Day as May 1, 1928. Honolulu is billing its 2026 observance as the 98th Lei Day Celebration. Kings’ Shops has joined Waikoloa’s Lei Day programming for several years, with a 2023 festival and a 2025 celebration that stretched from 10:45 a.m. to 4 p.m., showing how the resort has steadily built the event into a recurring spring fixture on the Big Island.