« Previous Entry | Next Entry »
Hawaii Okinawan Festival
August 31, 2008 1:53 PM • by Hisurf Staff • Posted to Hawaii Culture | Hawaii Facts | Hawaii History | Comments (8) | Permalink
The end of summer in Hawaii is always marked with the annual Okinawan Festival at Kapiolani Park. This year, the festival is celebrating it's 26th year of bringing traditional Okinawan food, art and entertainment to the people of Hawaii.
The festival had it's start 26 years ago and debuted at McCoy Pavilion at Ala Moana Beach park. It soon outgrew that space and was moved to Thomas Square next to the Academy of Arts in 1985. Five years later, they outgrew this location as well. Today The Okinawan Festival is hosted at one of Hawaii's largest parks, Kapiolani Park. The goal of the festival is to share Okinawan culture with the public and to continue to share and educate about Okinawan traditions.
The festival always attracts large crowds and many come for the fantastic food which can only be found at this fair once a year. You can bet many locals look forward to this two day event. Over 50,000 people annually descend upon Kapiolani Park to take part in the festival!
Some of the food highlights are the Okidog, a flour tortilla wrapped around a hot dog, chili and specially seasoned kalua pork and lettuce. Andagi which is a deep fried Okinawan donut. It's golden cripsy on the outside and light and sweet on the inside. Delicious! The AndaDog is an Okinawan take on the corn dog, using the Andagi batter around a hot dog. It's like two great tastes in one! Yakisoba, a stir fried Okinawan style soba noodles with veggies, ginger and meat thrown in. And my favorite is Champuru, which features shoyu pork (pork marinated in soy sauce), stir-fried vegetables, meat and deep fried tofu. There are also many other dishes such as the local plate with chicken and teriyaki beef.
Pictured Above: Yakisoba plate.
Every year the Okinawan festival is host to 2 days worth of local entertainment featuring the many Okinawan clubs and associations members performing. Okinawan singers, dancers solo artists and bands perform here. Playing unique musical instruments such as the Taiko drums and sanshin, the three-stringed Okinawan instrument. This years guest performers from Okinawa were Tatsuya Shimabukuro, who was Radio Okinawa's 2008 Grand Prix Miuta Taisho winner and Mamouru Miyagi and Tatsuya Yasuda.
Aside from the food and entertainment, the Okinawan Festival features a lot of Okinawan culture as well. At the Cutural Tent, you can learn about Okinawan culture featuring several Okinawan artifacts: fabrics, glassware, ceramics etc. At the Heiwa Dori you can purchase specialty food items. The Ti Jukuishina-Mushimun Arts & Crafts gallery features fine original artwork and crafts from local Hawaii artists. My favorite is the Machiya-Gwa Country Store and the Hanagi Machiya Gwa Plants. The country store has great fresh produce from Okinawa such as sweet potatoes, eggplant and araimo. The plant store has a great selection of potted herbs and orchids that you can purchase and take home.
If you are traveling to Hawaii in mid to late August and plan on attending the Okinawan Festival, be sure to do as the locals do and plan ahead! Parking for the event is at Kapiolani Community College but it fills up quickly. Each year the parking lot gets more and more full due to the many events during the weekend in that location including the KCC Farmers Market. This year was especially painful finding parking. Be patient! Once you've got a parking spot, a fleet of shuttle buses runs all through out the event to shuttle you to and from the event. The ride to the park is "free" but in order to get back to your car, you must pay a $1 fee which is worth it. Parking is the hardest part of going to this event. Don't even bother trying to park at Kapiolani park. You will be competing for spaces with beach goers, park goers, soccer and baseball events and folks that use the park for exercise.
Proceeds from the Okinawan Festival support the Hawaii United Okinawan Association and allows them to continue it's mission of promoting and preserving the Okinawan culture here in Hawaii.
Rate this:
Wow, I would love to attend this, just for the food! We have never been in August, just cause it's so nice at home that time of year. May have to think of it though.
I have fun with, cause I found just what I used to be looking for.
You've ended my four day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye online cash advance
Seduction technique in all-purpose is usually an
total solution regarding losers, males and females exactly who maintain little self-esteem, people searching for work and also commercial travellers.
Folks that will be in enormous requirement assist, with regard to recording that the actual minds on the individuals they will typically needed will probably be
overpowered if they that the real reason for wander belonging to that
the so-called seduction method. Thus select, because well because reveal that the seduction way to your friends which you
are aware of have been typically enduring numerous encumbrance of their life.
You’ll be able to completely end up being with superb help
in fixing that miseries that belongs to them life.
I really wanted to make a brief comment in order
to appreciate you for these nice strategies you have been giving out on this site.
My particularly long internet look up has
finally been compensated with reliable content to go over with my neighbours.
I ‘d say that quite a large amount of of us readers have
been undoubtedly endowed to be from a great network with so many
marvellous individuals with helpful techniques. I
feel truly privileged to have used your entire site and look forward
to so a whole lot of more awesome minutes reading here.
Thank you once more for a lot of things.
I think this is among that the most vital info for me. And i’m satisfied studying your article.
Then again should commentary on few normal things, That the website taste is
ideal, the articles is in reality good . Fine activity, cheers.
You created some decent points there. I looked on that the web for the issue and
discovered most people goes coupled with with all your web site.
Greetings! Very useful advice within this post! It's the little changes that make the greatest changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Nie jestem aż takim Internet maniakiem jesli mam
być prawdomówna, jednakże twoja witryna jest tak pasjonujące i naprawdę
bez trudu się je czyta, że nie mogłam sie oderwać.
Istotnie miło:), tak trzymać!. Wszystkiego najlepszego za znakomitą lekturę.