Ola Ka ʻĪ Kona, free Hawaiian language festival at Keauhou Shopping Center

Keauhou Shopping Center hosted the finale of the 2026 Ola Ka ʻĪ statewide Hawaiian language fair on March 5, drawing families, immersion-school students and community groups to a free program from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event staged student-led mele and hula, oli and storytelling, plus a hoʻokūkū haʻi ʻōlelo, the K–12 Hawaiian-language speech competition organizers added to this year’s lineup.

Organizers and partners said the program included hands-on “make & take” stations, informational booths, games, prizes, and competitions in Hawaiian-language speech, music and art. Kaiaulu Ksbe’s event materials note the collaboration “brings together more than 100 students from Hawaiian language immersion schools, teachers, ʻohana and 30+ community organizations to normalize ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi in public spaces,” language the hosts used to describe participation and scope.

The Keauhou finale was hosted by members of Kanaeokana alongside Ke Kula ʻo ʻEhunuikaimalino, Ka Laʻi a ʻEhu, Punana Leo o Kona and Ke Kula ʻo Kamehameha, with additional collaboration from Kūlaniākea and KS Kaiāulu. Stephen Hicks, general manager of Keauhou Shopping Center, said, “Keauhou Shopping Center is proud to be a gathering place where our community comes together in celebration of the history, culture and language.”

Education leaders framed the fair as part of classroom and identity work. Manuwai Peters, senior coordinating project manager with Kealaiwikuamo‘o at Kamehameha Schools, said, “Hawaiian culture-based education provides a strong foundation for haumana to grow as ‘Oiwi leaders,” and “At Ola Ka ‘I events across Hawaii, they build upon that foundation by sharing ‘olelo Hawaii, strengthening Native Hawaiian identity and advancing the well-being of our lahui.”

Organizers placed Keauhou’s role in historical context, noting Keauhou as the birthplace of Kauikeaouli, Kamehameha III. The Hawaii Tribune-Herald characterized the Keauhou gathering as “especially meaningful” because Kamehameha III championed education and literacy across the Hawaiian Kingdom. The Ola Ka ʻĪ initiative itself began six years ago on Oʻahu to encourage keiki and ʻohana to use ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi in everyday public spaces during Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.

The statewide fair series runs alongside other island events, including an Ola Ka ʻĪ Kauaʻi-Niʻihau gathering that was held March 1, 2025 at Kukui Grove Shopping Center and a Koʻolau event at Windward Mall on January 31, which local coverage described as drawing thousands. Kaiaulu Ksbe also pointed attendees to learning resources used across the series, noting “Join over 866,000 people learning Hawaiian language on Duolingo today” alongside Waihona and Kamehameha Publishing as tools for kumu and learners.

For more information about the Ola Ka ʻĪ series and Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi programming, organizers direct the public to the Mahina ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi website and local partners including the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce at 75-5737 Kuakini Hwy., Suite 208, Kailua-Kona; phone 808.329.1758; email info@kona-kohala.com. Organizers framed Keauhou’s March 5 finale as part of a sustained effort to normalize ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi in public spaces and to connect classroom learning with community life.