Kamehameha Day is a public holiday of the state of Hawaii and is celebrated June 11.
It honors Kamehameha the Great, the monarch who first established the unified Kingdom of Hawaii — comprising the islands of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui and Hawaii.
While he was king, Hawaii was a center of the fur and sandalwood trade. Pineapples were brought to Hawaii from Spain in 1813 and coffee was first planted in 1818, a year before he died.
In 1883, a statue of King Kamehameha I was dedicated in Honolulu by King David Kalakaua. The Honolulu statue is a duplicate, because the original statue was lost at sea but it was later retrieved and now stands in Kapaau, North Kohala. There is are duplicates of this statue in Hilo bayfront and in Emancipation Hall at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Hilo: 2012 Kamehameha Festival 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Moku Ola (aka Coconut Island) More info: http://www.kamehamehafestival.org
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Hilo: Hilo bayfront Kamehameha statue lei draping at 5 p.m.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Kohala: Lei Draping Ceremony at the King Kamehameha Statue in Kapaau at 8 a.m., Floral Parade at 9 a.m. The Hoolaulea starts at 10 a.m. and continues to 4 p.m. at Kamehameha Park. More info: http://www.kamehamehadaycelebration.org
Hilo: Hoolaulea 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Moku Ola (Coconut Island)
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Kona: King Kamehameha Parade 9 a.m. on Alii Drive. Hoolaulea at Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a free concert featuring Grammy award-winning Cyril Pahinui, Darlene Ahuna and more. More info: www.konaparade.org
