The City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation’s Annual Lei Day Celebration is held at the Kapi‘olani Park on May 1st of each year, rain or shine any day of the week. The all-day event features a wide variety of island musical & hula performances, Hawaiian cultural protocol, the world renowned Lei Contest, lei-making workshops, artisans and merchants all in a family friendly setting!
Before the celebration, our Lei Court is selected to preside over the lei festivities, and serve at the City’s cultural ambassadors of aloha. Following the celebration, fresh flower lei from the Lei Contest are taken to Mauna ‘Ala (The Royal Mausoleum) and Kawaiāha‘o Church to be placed on the graves and tombs of Hawai‘i’s ali‘i (royalty). If you’ve never experienced a Lei Day Celebration in person this video will give you an idea of the magic and beauty of this time-honored tradition. We hope to see you there!
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98th Lei Day Celebration!
Friday, May 1, 2026 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Queen Kapi‘olani Park
Showcasing Hawai‘i’s vibrant traditions to inspire future generations, the 98th Lei Day Celebration this Friday will progress the legacy of lei-making amidst the time-honored displays of aloha. Mayor Rick Blangiardi, the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), the Lei Court, and the Royal Hawaiian Band welcome everyone to celebrate Native Hawaiian culture and all things lei at the Kapi‘olani Park on Friday, May 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This year’s Lei Day theme of Mai ka hoʻokuʻi a ka hālāwai (From zenith to horizon), invites everyone to enjoy this free, family-friendly event throughout the namesake park of Queen Kapiʻolani Napelakapuokakaʻe.
A wide variety of events showcasing the skill and artistry of some of Hawai‘i’s lei makers, cultural practitioners, and performers will be on full display. Including the second appearance of our newest educational opportunity called “Meet the Masters”, where a select group of elite master lei makers will offer their knowledge and wisdom in a lei making demonstration.
Those wishing to enter fresh flower lei for the contest must submit them between 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Lei Receiving Booth (by the Waikīkī Shell Box Office) on the day of the celebration. For more information about the contest and the entire celebration event please visit bit.ly/HonoluluLeiDay
Don’t forget, the Lei Day Celebration is not just a one-day event! The celebration is finalized the morning of May 2 during the closing ceremony at Mauna ‘Ala (at 9 a.m.) and Kawaiāha‘o Church (at 10:30 a.m.). At that time, flower lei from the Lei Contest are placed on the graves of Hawai‘i’s ali‘i (royalty) as a final display of mahalo and aloha. The Lei Court also provide hula and oli (prayer).
Support for this event is provided by Hawai‘i Tourism Authority through the Community Enrichment Program. Mahalo to additional sponsors of this year’s celebration, including: Hula Grill Waikīkī, Handcrafters and Artisans Alliance, Friends of Honolulu Parks and Recreation, and Salon 808.
Lei Court
The 97th Lei Court of 2026
The 97th Lei Court (from left to right) Princess Joy Lynn ‘Alohilani Barredo Alegarbes, Queen Puamana Louise Garcia, and 1st Princess Chariya Willis. Lei Queen Puamana Louise Garcia was born in Honolulu and raised in Kāneʻohe, where she grew up close to the ocean and mountains and learned the values of ʻohana, tradition, and community from her parents and grandparents. After graduating from Castle High School, she began a lifelong career with Hawaiian Airlines, serving as a flight attendant for 26 years while simultaneously honing her lei-making skills. This lei-making passion was first instilled by her grandmother and later expanded through international layovers, in-flight workshops, and volunteer demonstrations at Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden. A dedicated hula practitioner since age nine, she has trained with kumu such as Aunty Noe Zuttermeister, Aunty Aloha Dalire, and Keolalaulani, while performing with Sea Life Park, Hula Hut, and Hālau ‘Ōlapa O Laka. She also shares her Hawaiian culture as a docent, storyteller, and community volunteer. As a single mother of two daughters and grandmother to five, she balances family, fitness, and creative hobbies such as painting, crafting, and paddleboarding. Read more about the entire court by clicking the picture.
Lei Contest
Mayor’s Grand Prize Winning Lei!
Ho‘omaika‘i (congratulations) to Melvin “Moki” Labra for winning the Mayor’s Grand Prize with his lei kui made of hau, kī (ti leaf), and tricolor dracaena. His monetary prize of $500 is part of a nearly $5,400 purse for winners in 14 other lei categories, all rewarded for their renowned and exquisite lei.
This year there were 145 entries total in various categories based on the lei-maker’s age, lei style, color, and materials. Click on the gallery below to see the pictures and descriptions of the winning lei. Mahalo to all of the talented lei-makers who entered the contest, especially the talented keiki participants! Click on the images below to see all of the winners from our May 1, 2026 contest!!
Rules, Applications, & Other Information
Can’t wait for a lei workshop in-person? No problem! This video from our Nā Pāka ma ka Hale (Parks at Home) series shows you how to make a Hili (twist) style lei with roses from paper. This style of lei is usually seen made with ti leaves, but here is an example of how to use paper or ribbon if ti leaves are not handy. Magazines, newspaper, or strips of fabric can also be used. Use your imagination and what you have on hand and remember May Day (May 1) is Lei Day in Hawai‘i!
Lei Day themes, featured flora based on voyaging proverbs in honor of Hōkūle‘a
Like a gardener tending their māla pua (flower garden) ahead of lei making, or the crew of a wa‘a (canoe) charting their course ahead of a voyage, the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is pleased to announce the themes and featured flora for the Lei Day Celebrations through 2027!
Celebrated on first day of May, each annual Lei Day Celebration embraces a particular theme and coinciding flower or plant. In conjunction with the Hōkūle‘a’s Moananuiākea journey circumnavigating the Pacific Ocean, DPR has selected voyaging proverbs from Mary Kawena Pukui’s ‘Ōlelo No‘eau (Bishop Museum Press 1983) to guide the next Lei Day Celebration themes.
- 2026 (98th Celebration)
Theme: Mai ka hoʻokuʻi i ka hālāwai (2059)
Translation: From zenith to horizon (invoking spirits from everywhere)
Theme material: kamani (calophyllum inophyllum)
- 2027 (99th Celebration)
Theme: Pae mai la ka waʻa i ka ʻāina (2566)
Translation: The canoe has come ashore (satisfied hunger, desire)
Theme material: kou (Cordia subcordata
Mauna ‘Ala & Kawaiāha‘o
The Lei Day Celebration is not just a one-day event! The celebration is finalized the morning of May 2 during the closing ceremony at Mauna ‘Ala (The Royal Mausoleum) and Kawaiāha‘o Church. At that time, flower lei from the Lei Contest are placed on the graves of Hawai‘i’s ali‘i (royalty) as a final display of mahalo and aloha. The Lei Court also performs hula and oli (prayer).
History of Lei Day
The lei is known the world over as a symbol of aloha. Great care is taken into the gathering of the materials to make a lei before they are prepared and fashioned into a lei. As this is done, the mana (spirit) of the creator of the lei is sewn or woven into it. Therefore, when you give a lei, you are giving a part of yourself. Likewise, as you receive a lei you are receiving a part of its creator.
While lei have been crafted and given in Polynesian culture for thousands of years, the first Lei Day Celebration was celebrated on May 1, 1927 with a few people wearing lei in downtown Honolulu. Over time, more and more people began to wear lei on May 1, and thus began the tradition of “May Day is Lei Day in Hawai‘i.” The first lei Queen, Miss Nina Bowman, was crowned by then Honolulu Mayor Charles Arnold in 1928. The slideshow above provides some visuals of the Lei Day Celebrations throughout the decades, with photos courtesy the Hawai‘i State Archive and Honolulu Advertiser.
Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when large, in-person events were restricted, our island community found innovative ways to celebrate this uniquely Hawaiian holiday. This included a video presentation to mark Lei Day (to the right) in 2021, and the Nā Lei Koa in 2020 to honor our first responders.