Mobile version of slideshow here

Karin Stanton | Hawaii 24/7 Editor

Thousands of residents and visitors packed Alii Drive after a rain shower Saturday morning to check out the annual King Kamehameha Day Celebration Parade.

The parade featured more than 100 riders – including the regal pa‘u riders – on horseback, as well as floats, a horse-drawn carriage, marching bands, singers, hula halau, pageant queens and a Shriners clown.

All eight Hawaiian Islands were represented by pa‘u equestrian units, which showcased the colors and flora of each island. Each unit stopped in front of Hulihee Palace and offered a gift.

This year’s theme was: “Wahine Holo Lio, Honoring the Noble Tradition of Pa‘u Riding.” (“Wahine Holo Lio means: “Woman traveling by horseback”)

A hoolaulea offering cultural workshops, vendors, food, exhibits, hula and live performances followed, as well as the Kamehameha Day Regatta, hosted by Kai Opua Canoe Club in Kailua Bay.

The Kamehameha Day Parade celebrates Hawaii’s Alii Nui Kamehameha I and his successful unification of the islands. Secondly, the parade’s mission is to perpetuate Hawaii’s ancestral heritage, by sharing our cultural history through music, crafts, language and stories that speak to who we are.

— Find out more:
www.kamehamehaevent.org/index