Music, food and fun at the annual Ukulele Picnic

COURTESY UKULELE PICNIC IN HAWAII

There will be two stages of entertainment at this year’s Ukulele Picnic in Hawaii, with Hawaii-based musicians such as Kapena, Ku’uipo Kumukahi, Ohta-san and Herb Ohta Jr., Taimane and Jody Kamisato on the main stage. Bring beach chairs and mats.

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The annual Ukulele Picnic in Hawaii promises music, fun and plenty of food at a family-friendly, outdoor event.

Ukulele Picnic in Hawaii

Where: Kaka’ako Waterfront Park

When: 9 a.m. to sunset Sunday

Cost: Free admission

Info: ukulelepicnicinhawaii.org

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The annual contest and hula show begins at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.

Ukulele players from Hawaii, Japan and Thailand take the stage to play their finest tunes beginning at 9 a.m. Sunday, while exhibitors and food vendors offer shopping and dining.

Hawaii musicians appearing on the main stage include Kapena, Ku‘uipo Kumukahi, Ohta-san and Herb Ohta Jr., Taimane and Jody Kamisato. International performers include Apirak Sirinanthakul from Thailand and, from Japan, Kimiko Wakyama, Seiji Katz and event founder Kazuyuki Sekiguchi.

A second stage will offer performances and workshops in hula and ukulele, starting at noon.

Guests are invited to bring beach chairs or mats for lawn seating. To help burn off youthful energy, there will be inflatables for the wee ones.

Fuel for the all-day entertainment will include shio koji chicken ramen from Sun Noodle, Uncle Ches’ Imu Style pork laulau, roasted corn from Crazy Country Corn, Da Bolalohan’s garlic chicken, Ken’s Kitchen garlic shrimp and Spam musubi from Iyasume, to name a few. Sweet offerings include layer cakes from Brug Bakery, Dragoncones’ novelty ice cream cones and Aloha Table shave ice. Drinks offered include Wow Wow Lemonade and green tea by Ito-En. Prices range from $2.50 to $15.

Sekiguchi is a bass player for the Southern All Stars, one of Japan’s most popular pop bands, and a big fan of ukulele music. He is the founder of the nonprofit Ukulele Foundation and hopes to someday build an ukulele museum in Hawaii.

Ukulele Picnic in Hawaii is staged next to the Ehime Maru memorial in honor of those who died when a U.S. Navy submarine collided with a Japanese fishing school ship in 1991. The event aims to spread a message of peace, friendship and ohana from Hawaii to the rest of the world, according to the Ukulele Picnic website.

If you’ve got Saturday free and want to enjoy even more ukulele music, drop in at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center on Saturday morning for the festival’s annual ukulele contest and hula show, 10 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.