Today is the 138th annual King Kamehameha Day celebration. King Kamehameha Day is a state holiday in Hawaii. Every year on June 11th, Hawaii celebrates Kamehameha I, the first king of the Hawaiian Islands with a lei-draping ceremony. This is the first time I have attended this event in person. I probably would not have gone if Colleen was not here visiting. Thank you Colleen!! Here are some photos of the event.
Best view in the place! They were still up there an hour later when we left.
shave ice & gelato 
Very cool!
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Those leis are so huge! I didn’t know you could make them so long.
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That sounds like a wonderful ceremony to attend. I am glad that you and Colleen enjoyed it together.
I wonder if my son went to see it. :) My son is now living there… Got transferred for work. He is working at the Ala Moana branch of Sephora. I think I am visiting in August. :)
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Hi Girasoli, wow these are very beautiful photos. What a fun event to attend. And very cool that Colleen is there to enjoy it too.
Thanks so much for sharing and have a wonderful weekend.
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Amy, yes it was very cool to see the ceremony and the beautiful leis.
Alice Audrey, I believe they are 25-foot leis. Amazing to see in person!
Eden, there was a pretty big crowd there. He might have been. August is usually a hot month. Great time to hang out at the beach!
Kathy, thanks. I realized when I got home all of the mistakes I made – aperture settings and I forgot to change my white balance! Luckily I did change my ISO after taking a photo inside the nearby church before the ceremony started. So much to learn!
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What a cool ceremony. I bet it was a lot of fun to see that in person. The leis are amazing! Great pics. :)
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Wow — that looks like a major production!! Hope you and Colleen had fun!
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Such wonderful photos! I was so happy to be able to attend this ceremony, thank YOU for making it possible. The leis were gorgeous, and I really enjoyed talking with that sweet woman from the Ka’ahumanu Society. Yesterday’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser said the crowd was only 150 … No way! I’d say double that, wouldn’t you?
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Annie, I have always seen the leis on the statue on TV. It was fun to be there in person this time and to see the entire ceremony. I have never seen that many leis, all so long before in person.
sandra, not sure how long it takes to make one lei. I am guessing at least an hour. It was a lot of fun and nice to share with Colleen :)
colleen, I really would have not gone if you were not in town, especially since the time change to morning. I would agree that there must have been at least 300 people there. Maybe the reporter only counted the people standing near the street??
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What beautiful photos! You and Colleen must have really enjoyed the pageantry of it all.
Just getting caught up on my blog reading – thus the late response.
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