Lei Day is around the corner. Here are some ways to celebrate.
THURSDAY, MAY 1
Music, hula and a lei contest. The City and County of Honolulu’s 97th annual May Day celebration will take place this year from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on at Kapiʻolani Regional Park. Watch musical and hula performances and participate in a lei contest or meet this year’s Lei Day Queen Lei Llanos. Afterwards, lei from the contest will be taken to Mauna ʻAla, or the royal mausoleum. Free.
Lei Day with Arlie Glass and Friends. From 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. enjoy lei making, pua flash tattoos, local art, live music and hula dancing along with floral cocktails in the lobby of the Romer Waikīkī at The Ambassador. Valet parking is $10. Free.
May Day is Lei Day. Watch performances by Kamalei Kawaʻa; KUmZ; Paʻahana, Pakala Fernades, Kaipo Kūkahiko, Doug Tolentino, Natalie Ai Kamauu and Iolani Kamauu; and Kupukupo featuring Kumu Hula Patrick Makaukāne and Patrick Eskildsen at Tom Moffat Waikīkī Shell. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $25-$50. Buy tickets.
FRIDAY, MAY 2
May Day is Lei Day with Kalani Peʻa. Maui singer and songwriter Kalani Peʻa, a four-time Grammy and five-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winner, will be hosting a free performance with falsetto champion Antonio “Akoni” Robles at Kaimana Beach Hotel. The “May Day is Lei Day with Kalani Peʻa” event is free and open to the public. There will be a lei contest. Drop off lei between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Musical performances and judging of lei starts at 3 p.m. The event is being sponsored by Highgate Hawaiʻi, Kaimana Beach Hotel, Kalani Pe’a, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, Manuhealiʻi, Keahou Shopping Center and others. Buy tickets. Free.
SATURDAY, MAY 3
Lei-Making workshop. Rock Church Oʻahu is hosting a free lei-making workshop for women at 1p.m. at the south end of Ala Moana Beach park. The event includes a hula demonstration, pūpū and refreshments. Attendees are invited to bring flowers and leaves to contribute to the lei. No experience required. RSVP. Free.
May Day is Lei Day in Hawaiʻi. Peʻa will headline his seventh annual “May Day is Lei Day in Hawaiʻi” concert at 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 3, at the Hawaiʻi Theatre. That performance will feature Sean Naʻauao, who received the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for the Male Vocalist of the Year in 2024, along with Nā Kumu Hula Sonny Ching, Lōpaka Igarta-De Vera, Kaʻilihiwa Vaughan-Darval, Kauʻi Kamanaʻo, Kunewa Mook, Shelsea Lilia Ai, Carolee Nishi and Krystal Yamamura. Buy tickets.
Know of a Lei Day celebration we didn’t feature? Email katie@alohastatedaily.com.
Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
