Pan-Pacific Festival

What a fun multi day event. We stumbled upon the Pan-Pacific Festival in Waikiki. There were performances, parades, and vendors. My only complaint was not knowing a schedule of events and the vendors not being multiple nights.

Pan-Pacific Festival was held back in June 2018. I attended the Pan-Pacific Ho'olaulea on Friday June 8, 2018. It was held during hours of 7pm and 10pm Friday night.I was with three other individuals that night of the Ho'olaulea. We walked from the start of Lewers Street on Kalakaua Avenue and headed east towards Diamond Head.There were a lot of food trucks and craft booths. There were even three stages set up for entertainment. We seen live music, hula dancers, and even Taiko drummers. I believe there was a lion dance as well.As for the food vendors...I noticed Leonard's Malasadas Wagon, Mega-load Burgers, Blue Water Shrimp, as well as food trucks or booths that sold steak, ribs, corn cob, and waffle dogs. Lines were too long so I totally bypassed all the food vendors.Craft vendors included jewelry, carved wood puzzles or figurines, paintings, as well as hair clips. I personally checked out the booth with the wood carvings while the other three individuals checked out the jewelery booth or hair clip booth.Pan-Pacific Festival used to be held at the Kapiolani Park during the day time. With the change of time and location more tourists and residents managed to enjoy the Ho'olaulea this year. I know I sure did.

On Friday, June 8th 2012, my family and I had a wonderful opportunity to attend the Pan Pacific Ho'olaule'a on Kalakaua Ave between Lewers & Kaiulani while vacationing in Hawaii from the Bay Area. The Festival began at 7pm but we didn't arrive until an hour later due to catching fireworks at Hilton Hawaiian Village (which takes place at 7:45pm, every Friday near the Rainbow Tower lagoon). There were still plenty of shops open at the Royal Hawaiian Center along Kalakaua Ave, as well as at the International Market place once the Block Party ended at 10pm. We saw three performances on three different stages, in the short 1.5 hours we were at the festival and each one showcased amazing talent (a Japanese group on steel drums, Japanese Taiko drummers of all ages, and Tahitian drummers).Beautiful hand-crafted items like paper lanterns, fimo clay flowers, wooden jewelry, and paintings were for sale amongst dozens of tents. Our Festival Food Favorites:Roasted corn on the cob, garlic shrimp scampi, and manapua.Fun for all ages, our toddler danced to the beat of the drums, our tween and teen enjoyed shopping, and the hubby and I loved it all.Tips:1.) Dont be affraid to haggle prices with vendors but don't lowball hand crafted items, as this will insult the artist;2.) All vendors (food vendors especially) were practically giving things away for a tiny percentage of their retail during the last 30 minutes of the festival. Parking:1.) I searched my yelp app for check-in deals and found three free hours of valet parking at Embassy Suites, no strings attached! Just paid it forward by tipping the valet the cost of garage parking so we broke even;2.) The Pan Pacific website has PDF maps of the Festival as well a helpful Parking map of all the garages in the area.More Info:http://www.pan-pacific-festival.com/festival/Hoolaulea.htmlThe word Ho'olaule'a in Hawaiian means 'festival; gathering for a celebration; to preserve friendship and good will.'The Pan-Pacific Ho'olaule'a is exactly that: a super-sized celebration of friendship and goodwill; a diverse gathering of people, cultural exhibitions, and talent from across the Pacific Rim that is not to be missed! It is one of the largest outdoor multi-cultural exhibits of its kind in the state of Hawaii and it happens in beautiful Waikiki, right on Kalakaua Avenue!The main thoroughfare is temporarily closed down to vehicular traffic from Lewers Street to Kaiulani Avenue to accommodate this festive block party. Delicious food booths of every kind line the street offering ethnic cuisine, local fare, as well as the all American hamburgers and fries! You'll also find island crafters and vendors selling unique items that reflect the diversity of the islands.Enjoy multiple entertainment stages featuring cultural performances such as Japanese Taiko drums, Korean dance, Hawaiian music, hula, and more.

Excellent event, and with the addition of the Street Dance Festival, it gives dancers/choreographers an opportunity to perform and share with everyone at a very classy venue.

The perfect ending to a Friday evening! This was so beautiful and fun, it was full of street vendors, food trucks and performances from traditional Japanese dances to hula. They had drum performances and dance offs! Vendors ranged from lemonade, shave ice truck, Yakisoba, Hawaiian BBQ including Huli Huli chicken, kahlua pork plates, garlic shrimp and even Leonard's Masalada truck was here. This street was close off all the way down and it was like a big block party! So many people and it was lively all over. It was great to see everyone observing different cultures, we all joined in to watch Japanese and Hawaiian culture. Everyone seemed happy and I definitely was. My BF took a hilarious photo with some big Japanese bear and it's now one of the best pictures I have to make me smile.This night was memorable and this festival was a perfect addition to an already awesome trip!

We were on the last night of our vacation and were lucky enough to experience the Pan Pacific Festival. A cultural event complete with food trucks and booths, arts and crafts, and entertainment, this was the perfect way to end our vacation.A good portion of Kalakaua Avenue (from Lewers to Paoakalani) was closed down to traffic. It was a lively event attended by many and offered a variety of food options. From mixed plates to roasted corn to Filipino food and Hungarian Chimney cakes, there was something for everyone. Hawaiian music and Taiko performers rounded out the event.A great experience to mix it up with locals and tourists alike while getting a feel for the local flavor.

First time coming here and was very happy I did! Walked into Waikiki from Ala Moana due to the heavy traffic and road closures. The festival encompasses Seaside Ave. to Uluniu St. along Kalakaua Ave. They're were many good booths and food trucks to eat from along with craft booths. They also had about 3 stages where live entertainment ranging from Japanese dance groups to local singers were performing. A mini bon dance group were also performing. It was a great experience and something I would come back to again next year.

The Matsuri Festival was first held in 1980 to celebrate Kintetsu International Hawaii Company's 25th anniversary, which was one of Hawaii's largest tour agencies to bring Japan visitors to Hawaii. With the influx of Japanese visitors to Hawaii at that time, the festival was to allow Japan to be a cultural goodwill ambassador by sharing its music, crafts, traditions, and food so that local residents and visitors could gain a deeper appreciation of Japan's cultural heritage. In 1998, it changed its name to the Pan Pacific Festival, as it was broadened to include other Pacific Rim cultures, including Hawaii. Held annually during the second weekend in June, it includes a wide assortment of cultural arts, crafts, stage performers, a block party, and a parade to bring various cultures and people together to create a more global community via the sharing and the celebration of culture. It currently attracts about 100,000 people annually, with half being tourists.The 34th annual PPF was held June 13-15, 2013 in Waikiki. Although it included four main events over the weekend, we attended only the Hoolaulea held on the first night. The four events were: - Hoolaulea (block party). Kalakaua Ave., from Lewers St. to Kaiulani Ave., was closed to traffic to allow locals and visitors to eat at local food booths and food trucks (Ezogiku, Primo Popcorn, Ono Kettle Corn, Olay's Thai Food, Da Spot, Hula Shrimp, Na Ono Roasted Corn, Elena's, Aloha Pops; and many others); browse through local crafted vendors (jewelry, clothing, koa pens, woodcraft, glassware, handbags, and hats); see live performances (hula performed by halaus from Japan and locally, taiko drumming, ukulele groups, belly dancing, and folklore singing/ dancing) at six entertainment stages. One of the stages was sponsored by the Hawaii Academy of Recording artists and included leading Hawaiian entertainers, such as Maunaloa.We thoroughly enjoyed the Hoolaulea! The streets were packed with so many people. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/pan-pacific-festival-honolulu?select=ZElxHKhi6jx5ftAJRcdZSg The food booths and food trucks were all so familiar from the monthly Eat the Street and Night Market in Kakaako, despite that a few of them had increased their prices for the many tourists buying their wares. It was interesting to browse through the many varied craft booths, although some of them were touristy. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/pan-pacific-festival-honolulu?select=DIhuEwmFfBvH1Sh3h5LmIw There was even a Microsoft Booth, promoting the opening of their new store at the Ala Moana Shopping Center. Entertainment reigned supreme, as we watched energetic seniors from Japan displaying their awesome taiko-drumming skills and flawless hula performers, as well as the great singing of Na Hoku Hanohano Award winners via superb sound systems that were installed. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/pan-pacific-festival-honolulu?select=PxxS1d-NpoYtEmFl7YFpcA http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/pan-pacific-festival-honolulu?select=QryqfHwOJ-cyepwhKdFaiA http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/pan-pacific-festival-honolulu?select=O6HdjoCLKvhlMm8R3mgyXQ We were fortunate to experience this during our staycation in Waikiki, as we didn't have to worry about parking. To address the parking issue, festival organizers posted online a list of 33 parking areas available to the public, with almost all included a fee, some discounted, and depending on the number of hours parked. Despite this, I'm sure it still was an issue among locals due to the time to find and pay for parking, the distance between the parking and the event, and fighting the traffic due to the closure of Kalakaua Ave.- Performance Arts Showcase. Held on all three days, a stage is set up at one end of Waikiki (Beach Walk Plaza) and at Ala Moana Shopping Center. Traditional Japanese songs and dances from various regions of Japan were presented, as well as hula performances, and other cultural presentations from Hawaii and Pacific Rim countries. - Hula Festival. Held on all three days in the evening at Kuhio Beach, there were hula performances by more than 200,000 performers from various hula halaus from Japan and Hawaii.- Parade. The PP Festival culminated with a parade on Sunday on Kalakaua Ave. from Ft. DeRussy to Kapiolani Park. Thousands of participants included colorful performers, taiko drummers, dancers, ethnic cultural groups, and high school marching bands. The highlight of the parade was a huge Shinto-style lantern, measuring 40' long and 16' high with elaborate decorations and required about 30 people to carry it.What a wonderful way to gain a deeper appreciation of the cultural heritage of Japan and other Pacific Rim countries!

I recently went to the Pan Pacific Festival Ho'olaulea as both a participant and a on-going bystander coming here. On Friday night they have a block party to kick off the Pan Pacific festivities on Kalakaua ave. They have a lot of food booth vendors, craft vendors, and entertainment focusing on the Pan-Pacific/Asian Pacific region. They have about six stages on entertainment from all along Kalakaua surrounded by food and crafts in between. If would suggest coming here early and avoiding the traffic madness to enjoy the whole night right. Some of the food my be on the pricier side but I guess it's worth it if you are hungry enough. For food, they mostly have everything local and Asian. I got a ahi katsu plate for about 11 bucks at the Fresh Catch Hawaii booth which was pretty good, satisfying, and filling. On one of the stages, there was UItraman and his gang which was pretty nostalgic and got to take a picture with them. Other entertainment that was included was taiko drumming, ukulele, singing, hula, and many more. It is definitely a great family event to go to. Just make sure you bring some cash and a cam to fulfill the whole experience.

Pan Pacific Festival 2013 wasn't good as 2012. This year the number of street venders was short than perior year. Inaddition, the groups of parade were smaller than last year and the performancers didn't come as many as last time. It is becoming boring. I will suggest the host of event need do something to improve the interesting for the tourists of hawaii.