The 2016 Lanai Pineapple Festival
It’s that time of year again when the whole city gathers at Dole Park for the annual Pineapple Festival. The event, founded in the 1970s, is a favorite Lanai tradition that brings community members and visitors of all ages together.
The festival is sponsored and organized by the Lanai Community Association (LCA), the oldest non-profit organization on the island. LCA promotes youth activities and sports, scholarships, kupuna, and community events. The Pineapple Festival is their largest event, and continues to grow.
It’s all in the preparation
The 14 LCA board members begin planning for the event in December, meeting once a month at the police station conference room to strategize funding, apply for grants and invite vendors.
“We are a 100 percent volunteer organization dedicated to promoting community development,” says Kay Okamoto, board member for the LCA for over twenty years.
“This year we have 45 vendors who will set up shop around the perimeter of Dole Park,” says Okamoto. “You can expect to see all the favorite local food vendors, including dinuguan and fried ice cream.”
The festival has attracted vendors and visitors from the neighbor isles as well. Visiting vendors include HMSA, the Maui Economic Development Board, Maui Electric and Habitat for Humanity.
There will be entertainment throughout the day, including Filipino dance, hula and the musician Kaipo Kupua. The festival will conclude with a special fireworks show above the Cooke pines.
Remember to bring a blanket to sit on while watching the fireworks and that the Lanai Pineapple Festival is a drug and alcohol free event.
Pineapple Festival, Parade and Fireworks, Oh My!
The festival kicks off with a longstanding favorite, the LHES Reunion Parade at 2:30 p.m. Alumni from all over the world have returned to Lanai City to visit with old friends and teachers and parade around Dole Park with their classmates once again before joining in the festivities at Dole Park. From 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dole Park will be filled with food, craft and volunteer booths as well as entertainment leading up to the 7 p.m. musical performance by Kaipo Kapua.
- Parade starts at 2:30 p.m.
- Saturday, July 2, 2016, 3-9 p.m.
- Kaipo Kapua performs at 7 p.m.
- Fireworks show begins promptly at 9 p.m.
Contact
For more information about the event and how you can get involved, visit Lanai Community Association website.
