To bolster Philippine participation to this year’s annual Honolulu Festival, the Philippine Consulate General, for the very first time, partnered with four (4) major Filipino organizations in Hawaii to ensure a bigger, more inclusive and culturally-enriching Philippine participation to the 23rd Honolulu Festival on 10-12 March 2017.
The Honolulu Festival, Honolulu’s premier annual cultural festival, through its longstanding theme, “Pacific Harmony,” reflects the Honolulu Festival Foundation’s (HFF) vision to share to an international audience the many cultures of the Pacific region, through an impressive showcase of arts, culture and entertainment. For its 23rd year, the HFF adopted the sub-theme "Cultural Harmony, Journey to Peace”.
The Philippine Consulate General, Philippine Airlines (PAL), Filipino Community (Filcom) Center, Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii (FCCH) and the Congress of Visayan Organizations (COVO), and with the support of the Dabawenyos Association of Hawaii and Bulacan Circle of Hawaii, collectively known as “Team Philippines”, joined the 3-day Festival at the following activities:
• International Friendship Gala, 10 March 2017
Philippine ethnic dances, “Kuratsa”, “Cariñosa” and “Singkil”, representing the 3 largest island groups of the Philippines, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, respectively, were performed by Hawaii-based Filipino dancers during the International Friendship Gala at the Hawaii Convention Center. During the Gala, the audience were offered a unique insight into the cultures of the region through cultural performances and regional cuisine by some of Hawaii’s most famous chefs and restaurants including Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, MW Restaurant and Nico’s Pier.
• Craft Fair / Exhibition, 11 and 12 March 2017
Joining the Craft Fair/Exhibition, Team Philippines set up 5 booths at the Hawaii Convention Center where cultural merchandise from the Philippines and other promotional materials were on display. The Philippine Consulate booth featured ready-to-wear barong and Filipiniana attire made of piña (pineapple) fiber by Elvis and Tina Cagungun of Lumban, Laguna.
• Grand Parade, 12 March 2017, Waikiki
The Honolulu Festival culminated in a Grand Parade along Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki featuring performers, floats, groups and marching bands from Pacific Rim countries and Hawaii. Around 70 participants of Team Philippines and other members of the Filipino community joined the parade. The parade concluded with a 20-minute Nagaoka Fireworks Show over Waikiki Beach.
To kick off the 3-day Festival, Consul General Gina A. Jamoralin also attended the dinner reception hosted by Japanese Consul General Yasushi Misawa at the latter’s residence on 9 March 2017, as well as the Governor’s Luncheon Reception at Café Julia on 10 March 2017.
The Honolulu Festival is considered to be one of Hawaii’s biggest, grandest and most anticipated festivals. In addition to its cultural significance, Hawaii’s tourism economy benefits as well, with nearly 5,000 visitors coming to Hawaii just to participate in the Festival which comprise most of the 160 groups performing. Over the years, the Festival has generated an estimated $200 million total in visitor spending. (END).
