King Kamehameha Day is June 11, 2026 — a state holiday in Hawaiʻi and the only U.S. state holiday honoring a monarch. The celebrations stretch across two weeks and every major island, from the lei draping ceremony at the Kamehameha statue in downtown Honolulu to the grassroots parade through the king’s birthplace in North Kohala. If you’re in Hawaiʻi in early-to-mid June, at least one of these events will land during your trip.
Who Was Kamehameha the Great
Kamehameha I was born around 1758 in North Kohala on the Big Island — the same year Halley’s comet passed over Hawaiʻi. Hawaiian kahuna (priests) prophesied that a great leader would be born under that light who would unite all the islands. His birth name was Paiʻea. After surviving threats from rival chiefs as an infant, he was hidden in the remote Waipiʻo Valley and later renamed Kamehameha, meaning “The Lonely One.” (National Geographic — Kamehameha the Great)
Starting in 1782, Kamehameha launched a military campaign to unify the Hawaiian Islands. With western weapons acquired through trade and the counsel of foreign advisors like John Young and Isaac Davis, he conquered Maui at the Battle of Kepaniwai in ʻĪao Valley and Oʻahu at the Battle of Nuʻuanu, where hundreds of warriors were driven off the Pali cliffs. By 1795, he controlled every island except Kauaʻi and Niʻihau. (Britannica — Kamehameha I)
The final piece fell into place in 1810. Rather than invading Kauaʻi, Kamehameha negotiated. King Kaumualiʻi of Kauaʻi ceded his island peacefully through the mediation of American trader Captain Nathan Winship. For the first time, all the Hawaiian Islands were united under one ruler. Kamehameha established the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and governed until his death in 1819. (National Library of Medicine — 1810: Kamehameha I Unifies the Hawaiian Islands)
His grandson, Kamehameha V, proclaimed June 11 as King Kamehameha Day on December 22, 1871. It has been celebrated every year since. (Go Hawaii — King Kamehameha I)
2026 Celebration Schedule: Island by Island
The celebrations span from June 6 through June 20, with different islands holding events on different days. Here is the full 2026 schedule.
Big Island: Kailua-Kona — Saturday, June 6
The annual King Kamehameha Day Floral Parade kicks off at 9 a.m. along Aliʻi Drive in Historic Kailua Village. This is the biggest of the Big Island’s Kamehameha Day events and the most photogenic. Pāʻū riders on horseback, floral floats, marching bands, and hula hālau wind through Kona’s waterfront.
After the parade, the Hoʻolauleʻa (celebration) runs from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Huliheʻe Palace — the former vacation residence of Hawaiian royalty, sitting right on the Kailua-Kona seawall. Live music, hula, food vendors, and Hawaiian crafts. Free admission. (SFCA — King Kamehameha Celebration Commission)
Big Island: North Kohala — Thursday, June 11
This is the real one. North Kohala is Kamehameha’s ʻāina hānau — his birthplace. It is the only celebration held on the actual holiday, June 11, and the most culturally significant of all the events statewide.
The 2026 theme is “Ua Koa Maila e Na Mamo” — “Be Fearless, oh My Descendants” — words spoken by Kamehameha’s kahu hānai (caretaker) Kahaopulani when she returned him to the court of Alapaʻi Nui. The day starts at sunrise with traditional Hawaiian protocol, followed by the lei draping ceremony at the original King Kamehameha I statue in Kapaʻau. At 9 a.m., Akoni Pule Highway closes for a floral parade between the towns of Hāwī and Kapaʻau. After the parade, Kamehameha Park hosts an all-day Hoʻolauleʻa with Hawaiian music, local food, arts and crafts. (North Kohala Kamehameha Day Celebration)
This is a small-town, community-driven event. The crowd is mostly local families. The hula is performed for Kamehameha, not for tourists. If you can make the drive to Kohala (about 50 minutes north of the Kohala Coast resorts), do it.
Hilo also holds its own lei draping at the 14-foot Kamehameha statue in Wailoa River State Park. The Royal Order of Kamehameha ʻEkahi Heiau ʻO Mamalahoa leads a procession from Moku Ola (Coconut Island) to the statue. Specific 2026 times are typically announced in late May. (Big Island Now — Kamehameha Day Festivities)
Oʻahu: Honolulu — June 11, 12, and 13
Oʻahu spreads its celebration across three days.
On Thursday, June 11, a brief tribute ceremony takes place at the Kamehameha I statue at Aliʻiōlani Hale (417 S. King St.), 9:00 – 9:30 a.m. Short, formal, and worth seeing if you’re nearby.
Friday, June 12 is the lei draping ceremony — the signature Honolulu event. From 2:30 to 5:00 p.m., the 18-foot Kamehameha statue in front of Aliʻiōlani Hale is draped with massive flower lei. Cultural protocol, hula, music, and hoʻokupu (offerings) fill the afternoon. Free and open to the public. RSVP by Monday, June 8 to the King Kamehameha Celebration Commission. (SFCA — 2026 Lei Draping Protocol)
The lei themselves follow strict rules: all lei must be closed (tied), approximately 30 feet in length when measured open, and no shorter than 20 feet. Only natural, biodegradable plant materials are allowed — thread, string, nuts, and seeds are fine, but no synthetic materials. Lei made in the kui pololei or kui poepoe method are placed on the statue’s right arm. Lei in wili, haku, hīpuʻu, or humu papa methods are draped at the base or placed on the left arm. (Go Hawaii — King Kamehameha Celebration Lei Draping)
Saturday, June 13 brings the 109th King Kamehameha Celebration Floral Parade — the largest of all the Kamehameha Day events. The parade runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., starting at King Street fronting ʻIolani Palace, down Punchbowl Street, left onto Ala Moana Boulevard, then along Kalākaua Avenue to Kapiʻolani Park.
Expect floral floats, pāʻū riders (women in traditional full-skirted riding attire on horseback) representing each island led by a queen and princesses, Hawaiʻi’s Royal Societies in formal regalia, marching bands, and hula hālau. The parade reaches Kapiʻolani Park around 11:30 a.m. Road closures begin downtown at 7:30 a.m. (Daniels Hawaii — 2026 Oʻahu Parade Schedule)
After the parade, the Hoʻolauleʻa runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Kapiʻolani Park. Free admission. Hawaiian cultural activities, hula, live entertainment, food booths, Hawaiʻi-made products, and a meet-and-greet with the pāʻū riders.
Kauaʻi — Saturday, June 13
Kauaʻi holds its floral parade from 9 to 10 a.m., running from Vidinha Stadium up Rice Street to the Historic County Building in Līhuʻe. The Hoʻolauleʻa follows from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the County Building lawn — local crafters, food vendors, cultural exhibits, and live entertainment. Free admission. Pāʻū riding workshops have been underway since March in preparation. Contact: [email protected]. (The Garden Island — The Pāʻū in Kauai Kingʻs Parade)
Maui — Saturday, June 20
The Nā King Kamehameha Commemorative Pāʻū Parade on Maui is scheduled for Saturday, June 20 at 9:45 a.m. The route runs from Baldwin High School to Queen Kaʻahumanu Center in Kahului. It’s smaller than the Honolulu parade but has its own character — Maui’s parade tends to feel more intimate and community-focused. (SFCA — King Kamehameha Celebration Commission)
The Four Kamehameha Statues
There are four Kamehameha statues, and three of them are in Hawaiʻi:
The most photographed stands in Honolulu, in front of Aliʻiōlani Hale across from ʻIolani Palace. This is where the Honolulu lei draping takes place. It was actually the second statue cast — the original was lost at sea near the Falkland Islands during shipping, then later recovered and sent to North Kohala.
That original now stands in Kapaʻau, in the king’s birthplace. This is where the most culturally significant lei draping takes place on June 11. A third statue — 14 feet tall — stands at Wailoa River State Park in Hilo. The fourth is in Washington, D.C., in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall. Hawaiʻi’s contribution to the collection, and at 15,000 pounds, the heaviest statue in the hall. (Wikipedia — King Kamehameha Day)
What's Closed on June 11
King Kamehameha Day is a state holiday, not a federal one. The distinction matters.
State and county government offices close — satellite city halls, driver licensing centers, public libraries, public schools, most banks and credit unions, and the Blaisdell Center box office. If you need anything government-related, handle it before June 11. (Spectrum News Hawaii — What’s Open and Closed)
Everything tourist-facing stays open. Retail stores, shopping malls (Ala Moana Center included), grocery stores, restaurants, parks, botanical gardens, Honolulu Zoo, and municipal golf courses all operate normally. Mail still runs — USPS treats it as a regular delivery day since it’s state, not federal.
TheBus runs a state holiday schedule with reduced frequency. The Skyline keeps its usual weekday hours, 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free street parking in Honolulu except Waikīkī metered areas.
Tips for Visitors
If you’re watching the Honolulu Parade on June 13, stake out a spot along Kalākaua Avenue by 8 a.m. The Waikīkī stretch fills up fast. Bring sunscreen, water, and a hat. The parade passes for about two hours with no shade along most of the route.
For the lei draping on June 12, arrive at Aliʻiōlani Hale by 2:00 p.m. to get a good view. The ceremony is solemn — treat it that way. Photography is welcome, but keep your voice down during the protocol portions. RSVP in advance through the King Kamehameha Celebration Commission (email: [email protected], phone: 808-586-0333). (SFCA — King Kamehameha Celebration Commission)
North Kohala on June 11 is a drive. From the Kohala Coast resorts (Mauna Lani, Mauna Kea), about 50 minutes north. From Kona, about 70 minutes. Arrive by 8 a.m. to see the lei draping before the parade. No rideshare up here — you’ll need a car. Use Discount Hawaii Car Rental to compare rates if you haven’t booked yet.
On June 13 in Honolulu, road closures will snarl traffic across downtown and Waikīkī from 7:30 a.m. through early afternoon. If you have a morning flight or need to be somewhere on time, plan around it. TheBus may reroute stops near the parade path.
One more thing: if you’re on Oʻahu June 11-13, don’t schedule a full-day tour that pulls you out of Honolulu. The parade and lei draping are free, accessible, and more culturally rich than most paid excursions. Book tours around them, not over them.
Explore Hawaiian History & Culture
Places and traditions connected to Kamehameha and Hawaiian heritage.
