One event, many cultures
Christine Kubota, chair of the Pan-Pacific Festival Foundation Advisory Committee and director of the Pan-Pacific Festival Foundation, is looking forward to this year’s showcase, which will include a ho‘olaule‘a and parade, cultural entertainment and delicious food.
Photo by Lawrence Tabudlo
With its breathtaking scenery, ‘ono cuisine and unmatched aloha spirit, Hawai‘i is a one-of-a-kind destination. But what truly makes the island chain stand out is its melting pot of cultures.
The Pan-Pacific Festival is a special event that highlights traditional cultural practices while fostering unity and friendships. While the festival was originally created to share the cultural activities from Japan, it has grown to include more cultures from across the Pacific Rim.
The 42nd annual festival takes place June 13-15. From 7 to 10 p.m. on June 13, Waikīkī will be transformed into a lively cultural celebration with a ho‘olaule‘a that will take place along Kalākaua Avenue — specifically the stretch between Seaside and Uluniu avenues.
“We have four stages of music and entertainment, and fun and mingling, and getting to know everybody,” explains Christine Kubota, chair of the Pan-Pacific Festival Foundation Advisory Committee and director of the Pan-Pacific Festival Foundation. “It’s more of a place for local people to mingle with the tourists. We had a lot of Japanese entertainment before, but now it’s become more Pan-Pacific. Every year, we have different people come from different places, doing different showcases.”
The block party will also boast around 50 vendors. Food booths will serve ethnic cuisines and artisans will have products that reflect the diversity of the region.
“We have a lot of vendors, so if you need to go Christmas shopping, this is the place to go,” Kubota says. “If you like to shop, like me, just bring a big bag because there’s plenty of stuff to buy.”
She says a popular dish at last year’s event was grilled octopus on a skewer. She adds that she’d never before seen a dish quite like it —and she’s held her position with the festival for about 10 years.
“I didn’t get to eat one because the line was so long,” Kubota laughs. “These were mainland tourists eating octopus. I thought that was really nice, you know, where people (are) trying different foods.”
Kubota hopes that the festival will continue to serve as a fun and educational experience for everyone. There will be multiple entertainment stages highlighting cultural performances, such as Japanese Taiko drums, Korean dance and more. Additionally, various Hawai‘i musicians will be performing at the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Stage.
“So a lot of local people come down, buy food, sit down and listen to the Nā Hōkū nominees,” Kubota says. “And the other three stages are usually the ones … coming from Japan, doing hula or singing, or doing martial arts or doing street dance. The ultimate goal is to perform, right? So we try to give them as much entertainment space as possible.”
Also on June 13 is a bon dance from 7 to 10 p.m. in front of the Honolulu Police Department substation near Uluniu Avenue. Kubota explains that the bon dance portion of the event is an example of the cultural exchange that the event offers. Attendees are welcome to jump in and join dancers from various bon dance clubs.
“It’s one thing for us to be bon dancing, but you see all these tourists that never bon (dance) ever before,” Kubota shares. “They don’t even know what it is. They just jump in and they start dancing, and they’re just having the time of their lives.”
The festival also features hula performances on each day of the festival at Kūhiō Beach Hula Mound, which is near the Duke Kahanamoku Statue on Kalākaua Avenue. The art of hula has intrigued the world and become especially popular in Japan. In addition to performances by a local hālau, there also will be dancing by hula enthusiasts from Japan.
The Pan-Pacific Festival provides an opportunity for these groups — many of whom train all year long in preparation — to perform in Hawai‘i, the birth place of hula.
Catch the hula show from 5 to 7 p.m. June 13, from 4:30 to 9 p.m. on June 14 and from 6:30 to 10 p.m. on June 15.
The excitement doesn’t stop there. The Pan-Pacific Festival will also host a performing art showcase on all three days at Ala Moana Center’s center stage.
There will also be a showcase at International Market Place on June 14 and 15.
According to the festival’s website, these events will feature a diverse range of ethnic performances, such as Chinese dragon dances, Korean drum performances and Japanese folk dances. Many of the Japan performances are distinctive to its various regions and will depict local folklore and customs. Traditional cultural performances from Hawai‘i will include acts from multiple ethnicities, such as Filipino, Thai and Okinawan groups.
The festivities are rounded out with a parade from 5 to 7 p.m. on June 15 along Kalākaua Avenue in Waikīkī beginning at Fort DeRussy Park and ending at Kapi‘olani Park. According to Kubota, the parade will feature more than 35 groups, ranging from nonprofit organizations to Argentinian dancers, taiko groups and participants from Easter Island.
“Last year, I think we had — it was very impressive — there was like 200 judo people walking down in the parade, so it was really cool,” Kubota recalls.
While putting together a three-day event is a lot of work, Kubota notes that it’s all worth it because she knows that the younger generations in particular will benefit from events like this.
She encourages everyone to engage in the community and check out the festival, especially if you’ve never attended one before.
“It’s a fun evening of great music, fanfare and shopping,” Kubota says. “I want to be able to keep something going where young people can experience all that. I hope more local people come. If you’re not used to going to these things, you’ll be amazed at all these unique findings that people, these entrepreneurs, come up with.”
The schedule of events is subject to change. For more information and to view the lineup of events, visit panpacificfestival.org.
