Kaua‘i Pride parade and festival set for Līhu‘e Saturday

Kaua‘i’s eighth annual Pride Parade and Festival will turn Līhu‘e into a public celebration of LGBTQ+ pride, local business and community solidarity on Saturday, with the parade set to start at 10 a.m. from the Vidinha Stadium parking lot and the festival running until 2 p.m. on the lawn of the historic County Building.

The event took on added civic weight during a proclamation presentation Tuesday, June 2, when Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami and County Council Vice Chair KipuKai Kualii stood with Pride organizers ahead of the weekend gathering. Kualii, who was recognized as the grand marshal of the first Kaua‘i Pride Parade, said Pride matters because it tells LGBTQ+ residents they are not alone and reminds the wider community that real support goes beyond tolerance and acceptance.

He also tied the day to young people who may be isolated or bullied, saying Pride can show them they have an “ohana” that loves and celebrates them as they are. That message is part of why the parade and festival have become more than a procession through the county seat. They have become a visible marker of how much of Kaua‘i’s public life now shows up for its LGBTQ+ residents.

The festival is being presented as a family-friendly gathering with local food trucks, small businesses and a slate of entertainment that includes Kumu Hula Troy Hinano Lazaro and Hālau Ka Pā Hula O Hinano, The Babes, The Napali Coasters, Mallibu Del Rey, the Imperial Sovereign Court of Hawai‘i, aerial silks and more. The lineup gives the day a distinctly local feel, with cultural performance, drag, music and aerial work all sharing the same space on the County Building lawn.

Organizers also announced three $1,500 scholarships for Kaua‘i residents, a practical boost that links the celebration to student support. The scholarship awards underline how Pride on Kaua‘i reaches beyond one afternoon in Līhu‘e, connecting visibility with concrete help for local youth.

Grand marshal duties for 2026 will go to Cyenna Summers, whose selection adds another sign of the event’s growing profile. In Līhu‘e this Saturday, the parade and festival will do what Pride does best on Kaua‘i: make community support visible, local and impossible to miss.