Hum a few bars of "May Day Is Lei Day in Hawaii." From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, as the song says, there will be garlands of flowers and hula everywhere. Stretched like a lei from Chinatown to Waikiki, the celebrations begin at the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort on Kalia Road with the procession of the outgoing lei queen and princesses at 9 a.m. At the same time, Kanoe "Tootsie" Cazimero’s Hulathon will begin at Ward Warehouse, and the Royal Hawaiian Band will play at Kapiolani Park, signaling the opening of the city’s 88th annual Lei Day Celebration.
HULATHON
"‘Make a lei, wear a lei, give a lei’ was my first thought. Then I thought about a lei of hula," said Cazimero, a professional hula dancer and twin sister of entertainer Roland Cazimero. "I was looking for something that speaks to the heart."
Working on her theory of "go big or go home," she decided to dance for 12 hours. On Friday, Hulathon 2015, sponsored by the Iwalani Foundation and hosted by Na Mea Hawaii, will keep Cazimero and a lineup of kumu and their haumana (students) dancing from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Ward Warehouse Amphitheater.
"This is to celebrate who we all are as hula dancers. So if you know the hula, jump in," she said.
Three kumu — Snowbird Bento, Kilohana Silve and Corinne Parks — were the first to say yes.
The 12 hours of music will be divided between CDs and volunteer musicians. The entire day will be an old-time kanikapila. The event is meant to support breast cancer awareness and will include lau hala (pandanus leaf) crafters from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., plus a table with a mountain of flowers ready for May Day enthusiasts to string into lei.
Cazimero and Iwalani Walsh Tseu are cancer survivors and the force behind the "Magnificent Women of Hawaii" book. Tseu said donations collected during the Hulathon will go toward publishing costs.
LEI DAY CELEBRATION
At Kapiolani Park the fragrance of flowers will hit the nose before their colors reach the eyes at the 88th annual Lei Day Celebration. The flowerfest begins at 9 a.m. with music by the Royal Hawaiian Band, followed by hula by Na Wahine o ka Hula Mai ka Pu‘uwai and the 11 a.m. investiture of the 2015 lei queen and court.
The lei contest exhibit opens at 12:30 p.m. Four hours of music follow, featuring the Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association, Melveen Leed, Mark Yamanaka, Hu‘ewa and Halau Hula ‘o Hokulani. Kulana Lei, an artisans village, opens at 10 a.m. There will also be exhibits, demonstrations, keiki activities at Tutu’s Hale, and food and craft booths.
The 2015 lei queen, Danielle Pomaika‘i ‘o Keikilani Akiona of Kaneohe, and her princesses will be at the lobby of the Outrigger Reef for picture taking and a meet-and-greet at 3 p.m.
The closing ceremony for Lei Day is Saturday morning at both Mauna Ala Royal Mausoleum in Nuuanu and Kawaiaha‘o Church in downtown Honolulu, where the public and contestants from the lei-making events are invited to drape their lei on the burial places of the alii.
MAY DAY WAIKIKI
The second annual event, from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday on the sand fronting the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, will honor two legendary Waikiki beachboys: Alex Apo and the late Richard Kapela Kauo. The tribute will be followed by a free concert by Danny Kaleikini and reggae-pop vocalist Anuhea. Sponsored by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, the concert will be broadcast live on Hawaiian 105.1 KINE.
For anyone still needing to string a lei or dance a hula, the flowers and music will be waiting at Ward Warehouse, where Cazimero will be in the final hours of her Hulathon.
LEI DAY IN CHINATOWN
Lei sellers were some of the earliest vendors in Chinatown, setting up on the sidewalks leading down to the harbor.
You’ll want to buy lei early at the shops on Maunakea Street but come back later in the day for the Lei Day in Chinatown celebration from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday at 25 N. Hotel St. The event, sponsored by the Chinatown Improvement District and others, features Hawaiian food and music, a plant sale and photo contest show and reception. The Arts & Treasures Fair will run from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m.
Other food will be available for purchase, but you might want to buy your $20 ticket for the Hawaiian plate dinner before it’s sold out; call 589-9927.
