The Hokuleʻa voyaging canoe is scheduled to return to her birthplace of Kualoa on March 9, for the 10th Annual Kualoa/Hakipuu Canoe Festival at Kualoa Regional Park.

Fans of the Hokule‘a can wish the canoe a happy birthday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the festival, which will include speakers, educational booths, rides and demonstrations aboard the educational voyaging canoe, Kanehunamoku.

The festival will showcase Bobby Puakea and Nakoa Prejean, master canoe builders and paddle makers, along with the team from Polynesian Voyaging Society. Canoe rides out to the Hokuleʻa are expected to fill up quickly.

A variety of sailing vessels will also be on display.

Due to the festival, Kualoa Regional Park Campground A will be closed for the camping period beginning on Friday, March 8. Campground B will remain open, but campers should be aware there will be more people and cars visiting the area.

Since embarking from the shores of Kualoa/Hakipuu on March 8, 1975, the Hokule‘a has been a symbol of the Hawaiian Renaissance as well as the rebirth of Polynesian voyaging traditions and culture.

In 2013, she set off on the historic Malama Honua Worldwide Voyage, inspiring others to care for the earth and to live and share a sustainable Hawaiian culture. The voyage was completed four years later at Ala Moana Beach Park’s Magic Island, where she was welcomed home by thousands, including Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell, who presented a key to the city.

Wherever she went, the Hokuleʻa introduced the “Promise to the Pae ‘Aina” initiative to compel the global community to take up a collaborative approach to environmental challenges affecting all of humanity.

The family-friendly event is free and open to the public.