FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                            November 8, 2006

Release No. M-113-06

CITY COMMEMORATES KING KALÂKAUA’S 170^th BIRTHDAY

A ceremony honoring the 170^th birthday of King David Kalâkaua will be held at 9 a.m., on Thursday, November 16, 2006, at King Kalâkaua Park.

 The public is invited to attend the free program, which will be held in front of the King Kalâkaua statue at Kuhio and Kalâkaua avenues in Waikiki.

 “The ceremony is a special time that not only celebrates the 170^th birthday of King Kalâkaua, but also accomplishments during his reign, which has left a lasting legacy to the present day,” said Mayor Mufi Hannemann.

Kalâkaua was born on November 12, 1836 and ruled from 1874 to 1891, when he died in San Francisco. During his reign, ‘Iolani Palace was constructed.

The ceremony will include musical presentations by the Royal Hawaiian Band, a performance by Hâlau Hula ‘O Mâiki and a royal procession, amongst other tributes to the “Merrie Monarch.”

The ceremony is presented by The Free and Accepted Masons of Hawai‘i and the Lodge Le Progres de I ‘Oceanie, with support from the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts. For more information call the 523-4674.

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Contact:

            Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts, 523-4674