This year’s Kamehameha Day Parade on the Island of Maui is being relocated from Front Street to Kaʻahumanu Avenue in Central Maui.
The Kamehameha Day Parade has traditionally been held in Lahaina for at least the past 20 years.
Parade coordinator Darryl Fujiwara said the decision to relocate the event was not an easy one because many in West Maui believe the Kamehameha Day Parade belongs on Front Street.
Fujiwara, who has been helping organize the parade for the last 20 years, said he hopes the move to Central Maui will share the parade and hoʻolauleʻa with more of the island.
“For as long as I remembered the event, it’s always been down on Front Street in Lahaina, but I was told very later on that the original route was down Kaʻahumanu Avenue and after the parade, the pāʻū riders would have like equestrian competitions in some of the old baseball fields," Fujiwara said.
"And so, there’s some photos of it looming around. I don’t have them, but I heard stories about how they would have to showcase their riding abilities in order to win the outstanding Pāʻū Princess Award," he said.
The 2024 Nā Kamehameha Commemorative Pāʻū Parade and Hoʻolauleʻa will take place on Saturday, June 15.
