Hawaii (The Big Island) Events and Festivals

(The Big Island, Hawaii - HI, USA)

Culture is an integral part of life on the Big Island and all through the year, Hawaii offers festivals, colourful events and endless things to do, where visitors can experience local traditions and celebrations at their best. Events are staged at venues all across Hawaii, with the most popular including music festivals, country fairs, theatre and sporting competitions.

Many tourists are surprised to learn that the Big Island has a very rich cowboy heritage and so during the course of the year, several large rodeos take place here and have done for almost 40 years, with the Annual Kona Stampede Rodeo in March being amongst the biggest and the best. Also of note are the Aloha festivals, which are held all over the main islands of Hawaii. Each September the Aloha events come to the Big Island, with crowds of literally thousands regularly joining in the fun, particularly around Hilo and Hoolaulea.

Hawaii (The Big Island) Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• Senior PGA Golfing Tournament - mid-January, based at the Hualalai Golf Course, where the gorgeous island views are almost distracting at times

February

• Hilo Chinese New Year Festival - February at Kalakaua Park, with a definite oriental theme, fun lion dances and an unmistakable atmosphere
• Waimea Cherry Blossom Festival - mid-February, heralding the arrival of spring on the Big Island, with a number of lively processions, Taiko drumming, dancing, and of course, lots of pretty cherry blossom. This is based in Waimea and offers a flavour of Japan on Hawaii
• Waimea Town Celebrations - mid-February, lasting two days and featuring an array of sporting events, which even includes a marathon race. Holiday makers will enjoy the various demonstrations, such as how to make a traditional Hawaiian 'lei' flower necklace. The celebrations commemorate the arrival of Captain Cook on the island

March

• Kona Brewers Festival - held on the second Saturday each March at the Kona Beach Hotel, offering the chance to enjoy some local Hawaiian beer, together with music and even some fire dancing
• Tahiti Fete - mid-March at Hilo's Afook Chinen Civic Auditorium, attracting large groups of experienced Polynesian dancers
• Annual Kona Stampede Rodeo - mid-March, action-packed cowboy fun with something for all the family, held over two days in Honaunau

April

• Merrie Monarch Festival - mid-April, a collection of different cultural events reflecting many different aspects of Hawaii's cultural highlights, including hula competitions and colourful processions of dancers, commencing on Easter Sunday

May

• Keauhou Kona Triathlon - mid-May, featuring three different races, swimming in Kailua Bay, cycling between the Kailua Pier and the Queen Kaahumanu Highway, and a running race starting and finishing at the Ohana Keauhou Beach Resort
• Orchid Show - mid-May, a colourful extravaganza of exotic orchid flowers, organised by the Big Island's very own Kona Orchid Society and staged at Hale Halawai

June

• Annual Waikii Music Festival - throughout June, at the Waikii Ranch in Kamuela, with various performances and music from all over the world
• Dolphin Days - mid-June, with live music, plenty of sumptuous food, a small golfing tournament, and various party events, held at Waikoloa's Hilton Resort
• Puuhonua o Honaunau Annual Cultural Festival - late June, within the Puuhonua o Honaunau National Park and including a number of demonstrations, such as Hawaiian weaving and the building of traditional canoes
• Annual International Festival of the Pacific - June to August, celebrating the undeniable influence of Japan on the Big Island, with a procession of paper lanterns, lots of tasty Japanese-style food, and even a tea ceremony, which always take place at the gardens in Liliuokalani Park

July

• Parker Ranch Fourth of July Rodeo - July 4th, a host of rodeo events, including horse racing and roping, set within the spacious grounds of the Parker Ranch, in Waimea
• Turtle Independence Day - July 4th, mature sea turtles raised in Mauna Lani and released into the ocean to crowds of onlookers, as part of a successful conservation program
• World Billfish Challenge - mid-July, this fishing tournament is centred around the Kailua Pier and lasts two weeks
• Big Island Hawaiian Music Festival - mid-July in Hilo, at the University of Hawaii Performing Arts Centre and the East Hawaii Cultural Centre

August

• Family Performing Arts Cultural Festival - throughout August, a month-long event featuring many different aspects of the Hawaiian culture, including hula dancing, music, parades and a carnival atmosphere
• Hawaii Horse Expo - held each August with money raised going to the Humane Society's Horse Rescue Fund, includes talks and demonstrations by equestrian experts suitable for all levels of interest in horses

September

• Aloha Festivals - held in succession on the biggest islands of Hawaii and arriving on the Big Island in September

October

• Kohala Country Fair - an authentic Hawaiian country fair, held in Hawi and include much live music, dancing, entertainment and food

November

• Kona Coffee Cultural Festival - early November and lasting ten days, with various events staged in and around Kona, including a famous coffee recipe contest
• Annual Christmas Festivities - mid-November to early January, with Yuletide festivities for all ages, including volcano celebrations at the Hawaii National Park

December

• Mochi Pounding for the New Year - late December, traditional 'mochis' (rice cakes) are made in villages all over the Big Island to celebrate the forthcoming new year
• Peaman Biathlon - late December, including a swimming race starting from Kona's King Kamehameha Hotel. Held on the Sunday following Thanksgiving