The Fiji Tribute concert on Saturday, Sept. 13, drew thousands to Waikīkī. The event was a one-night-only tribute to George Brooks Veikoso, known as Fiji, who died in July. Tickets to the event were free and disappeared in minutes.
Fiji was known for his island/reggae music and lived in Hawai’i as a teenager, according to Spotify, where he has more than 975,000 monthly listeners.
More than 30,000 attendees were expected to attend the event, according to city officials.
The Honolulu Police Department made no arrests “despite the unprecedented crowd size," the agency shared. It did tow 30 vehicles, according to representatives of HPD. The department declined to share how many officers were present at the event, which also had more than 150 private security, according to organizers.
The tribute had planned performances from Common Kings, Maoli, The Green, Sammy J, Kapena, Ekolu, Josh Tatofi, Mana’o Company, Three Plus, Rebel Souljahz, Siaosi, Irie Love, Spawnbreezie, Hot Rain, Na Drua, Peni Dean, Damon, Loleka, Jeff Rasmussen, H Dawg, Bet, Westafa, Sean Na’auao, Na Wai, Hawaiian Style Band, Ilona Irvine, Finn, Johnny Suite and more, according to the event’s website. The event was hosted by Davey D, Lina Girl, Big Koa, BigBodyCisco, and Mikey Monis.
It was livestreamed to more than a quarter of a million viewers, according to YouTube. As of Monday, Sept. 15, the concert had more than 255,000 views.
In honor of the occasion, Rick Blangiardi, the mayor of the City and County of Honolulu declared May 10, Fiji’s birthday, as "George Veikoso Day." Gov. Josh Green declared Sept. 13, 2025, the day of the concert, as “Fiji Day” in a proclamation describing him a “pioneer of Pacific Island sound” and “affectionately called the ʻKing of Island Reggae.’” The proclamation also recognized his 10 solo albums and awards that include the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for Male Vocalist of the Year in 1998 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pacific Music Awards in 2021.
The City and County of Honolulu had multiple departments working on the event. The Department of Enterprise Services oversees the Tom Moffatt Waikīkī Shell, where performers took the stage. Just outside, community members could also get ticketed access to see the show via a large screen inside Kapi’olani Regional Park, which falls under the jurisdiction of Department of Parks and Recreation.
The event included a flower drop, where a helicopter released petals on the crowd below.
“That was a really iconic and beautiful part of the event,” Kainoa Enos, public information officer for the Department of Enterprise Services, told Aloha State Daily. “It was really, really beautiful.”
Enos shared the department’s event debrief was scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 17.
"For the Fiji concert, the park was left in good shape after the show, and operationally the event went smoothly from our perspective," shared Nate Serota, with the Department of Parks and Recreation. "People started arriving in the park that morning for the show."
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Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
