Kamehameha Schools 90th Annual Ho'olaule'a

I was really impressed with the Ho'olaule'a and was very happy to support the school and its students. We've previously visited towards the end of the day but were always disappointed that most of the food had fun out, so we planned better this time and arrived at about 11:30 a.m.First up, parking! We were worried we wouldn't be able to find any parking, as most of the first half of the lots were full, but we eventually found a spot along the road, and two shuttle stops were about 1 minute away walking - 1 uphill, 1 downhill. We hopped onto a shuttle after waiting less than a minute, and were on our way to the festivities!I wasn't even hungry, but the food all looked so good. I easily decided I wanted to try the $10 pastele stew plate, which came with a large scoop of white rice and side of corn, and a LOT of stew - I took half of it home (wanted to savor it with more rice!)! My husband and toddler shared a $10 smoked meat plate, which was tasty, salty, and went perfectly with the rice and corn. I was full, but couldn't stop staring at other people's plates - $12 barbecue chicken and big bone kalbi plates - with huge pieces of chicken and kalbi, along with kim chee and macaroni salad. Then, I couldn't believe how large the $12 hawaiian plate looked, so before we left, I scored one too. I loved that it came with squid luau and kalua pig, as well as pineapple (7 pieces!), about half a sweet potato, large piece of haupia, white rice, poi, and a small portion of lomi salmon. The squid luau was a little sweeter and less salty than I'd prefer, but went well with the salty pig, lomi salmon, and sour poi. What a deal! At first, I was skeptical that they'd be large portions since there were so many items in the plate, but they separated the cold items from the hot dishes, so all those items filled two containers of yummy food!I also appreciated that the food were all served in sustainable recyclable containers (it always freaks me out when it's in the foam containers, and it sometimes melts the containers or transfers the yucky chemicals to me.Finally, we enjoyed a $3 big island Bradda Pops, gummy bear flavor. I hadn't seen it before, and it was such a hot day, that we decided to try it. It mostly tasted like strawberry, but had some gummy pieces in it. I probably wouldn't purchase it again, but it was something neat to try, and something that we probably can't get anywhere else on Oahu.I also visited the silent auction, which were mostly filled with large baskets of various goodies (gift cards, yummy treats, random clothes, slippers, etc.), jewelry, and some clothes. There were three times that the silent auction closed - 11 am, 1 pm, and 2:30 pm - so it is more beneficial to go right when it starts so you can bid on all the items. You need to register first, by putting down your name, phone number, and email address, and then when you bid, you only need to write down your name and bidding number. This makes it much easier to bid than having to write down your phone number/email address (legibly!) every time you are interested in an item!Loved that there was hardly any waiting for the fun - less than a minute to wait for the shuttles to and from the car, for the food, for the scripts, etc.Tips: - Remember where you parked, and what color shuttle you took to get to the fair! We couldn't remember either, and briefly worried that our car got stolen. There were really sweet volunteer students who helped determine which shuttle we probably took. - Bring chairs or a mat to sit on and an umbrella to enjoy a picnic lunch. There was wonderful entertainment - I loved listening to Na Leo perform, and would've loved to enjoy a concert while enjoying lunch - but we didn't have a chair or mat so found another spot to eat at. - There was no line to get scrips with cash, but a short line if you want to pay with a credit card.

ANNUAL HO'OLAULE'A FESTIVALWhat's all the Excitement about?!The annual Kamehameha School's Ho'olaule'a (pronounced Ho-oh-lau-lei-ya) is an amazing Hawaiian cultural festival held annually at the Kamehameha Schools Kapalama Campus.One weekend day a year annually, the entire school, student's family and friends, and community converge upon this Kapalama Campus for this very special, totally relaxed fundraising event held right on the huge grassy area in the middle of the upper regions of the school.What'll You Find There?You'll find a rich assortment of music and dance entertainment from Hawaiian to Polynesian to also what's popular in our American culture performed by the school's current students and alumni (who are probably pretty famous entertainers) in the form of groups sings and dances *not to mention* THE GREAT FUUD including but not at all limited to their specialty HAOLE BROWNIES! :DAlso of equally great importance are the delicacies that are brought to Oahu from our neighboring islands. Do not underestimate these you-would-have-to-fly-to-a-whole-nuther-island-just-to-get, sometimes-hard-to-find, high-demand specialty items. Save yourself a plane ticket or 2 & get them there :)This is an event that not all that many people know about. Haha well, at least I never knew about it until recently. It was explained to me that the event is coordinated by a different alumni high school class each year. Talk about everlasting school spirit! So very impressive! Yummy Edibles to Consume there!You'll find delicious ethnic foods, drinks, and desserts, from various cultures and from different Hawaiian Islands in addition to Hawaiian foods.This year, some of the food plate items available were: kalibi, BBQ pork sticks, fried fish plate, Hawaiian plate, pastele stew, pastele plate, and others.So Many More Treasures to Bring Home!Did I mention the Kulolo?! This is another treasure ppl know to line up for! Mmmmm..!Every good festival also contains county store-type items for sale and this one does not disappoint. You'll find great deals on more difficult to make or find homemade craft items (ribbon lei, ingenious household and office items, pillow cases, table runners, blankets, yarn pouch purses, cosmetic bags, silver wire earrings), and great deals on produce (pineapples, apple bananas, tomatoes, potatoes, garlic, papaya for instance). One of their most favorite item is their signature Haole Brownies. This year they had an express, script-only line just for these brownies! Wow! Find more Haole Brownies in the Country Store along with the actual brownie mix so you can bake them at your leisure in the comfort of your own home.The Country Store is also where one will find blue & white Kamehameha Schools logo items. So I've heard their alumni explain, during the typical school year, anyone desiring KS logo items will either have to make an appointment to go on to campus to get them, find a limited selection online, or can find an good assortment during this festival.Food items made and found only on certain Hawaii State Islands (Kauai, Molokai, Maui) are available at various food booths. This year there were homemade condiment items (lilikoi and guava butters, chili pepper water) at the Molokai booth and kulolo at the Kauai booth.Sunlight! In-House Entertainment! Activities!Everyone is welcome to sit on the grass lawn to enjoy the featured festival entertainment.There's also other things to see and do such as their silent auction, plants and flowers sale, haku lei-making, poi pounding, kiddie rides, and.. maybe more depending on the year! Lol How to get there?There are Bus Shuttles at the bottom of the mountain/school at various locations. There's one at the Kamehameha Schools bus terminal at the corner of Kapalama and N. School Street. The shuttle will take you to and from the school to/from various nearby locations down the hill. It's a very organized process so everyone can get back to their vehicle after attending the festival.Don't Leave the Festival Without It!Don't forget to find and buy your fabulous Haole Brownies for your secret snack stash!Hehe :)Things to Know!The festival begins in the morning at 830am and runs thru the afternoon at 430pm. If you want the more popular items, you'll have to be there at least by 11am!If you arrive there early enough, there are probably going to be long lines for everything anyway but with a little patience, you will likely be able to purchase your desired items. Everyone is warm and nice if you are too so if you're not sure which line you're waiting in, just politely ask the people in line whether they're waiting in line for what you want.If you happen to go overboard on bulky items, rest assured when you get them safely home in your refrigerator, on your counter, in your tummy, or used throughout your house, you will be the happiest Ho'olaule'a participant ready and willing to attend the next festival the next year :D

Great live local entertainment, ono local grinds & great place to spend with friends & family Who can resist malasadas & famous baked brownies & dry mixes along with some homemade goods from the other islands?

For what it is, the Ho'olaule'a is awesome! Ono food, laid-back family atmosphere, great entertainment...& chances are you'll run into a few old friends that you haven't seen in years. ;-) Love the layout of the event, with all of the food booths surrounding the stage, then all the other stuff (silent auction, kiddie area, etc) further out. Interestingly, Hawaiian plate isn't my favorite thing to eat here...#1 for me is the fried fish plate, then maybe the smoke meat...& I've only had the pastele plate one time but I remember that being really good too! Which brings me to my only real complaint...all the best foods run out sooo early!! =( If you're not here by 11am, chances are you'll miss out on the kulolo, pastele stew, watermelon braddah pops...seems like the same stuff runs out fast every year. 0=) Oh well, just more incentive to get here early!

It was well done especially at the Bishop Museum venue. Had lots of vendors which was enjoyed. Seemed very organized. Look forward to the next one.

No worries ok about kamehameha and the ku statue I bought um in my private collection hope all.fun one day show ally kamehameha collection my private colkection