June 11 in Hawaii is King Kamehameha Day in Hawaii. The day honors the king who united all of the main Hawaiian islands under one rule. Over the past three days lei draping ceremonies have taken place at the identical statues of Kamehameha I in Honolulu on Oahu and Hilo and North Kohala on Hawaii Island.
Sunday saw the 96th Annual King Kamehameha Celebration Floral Parade from Honolulu to Waikiki where the annual huge King Kamehameha Ho'olaule'a (big block party with food and music) took place in Kapiolani Park. Similar celebrations took place across all of the major islands, all honoring the man who is known as Kamehameha the Great.
How were the Hawaiian Islands finally united and how did Kamehameha decide what type of government to establish? Find out more in our feature from 1998 called Kamehameha the Great - Ruler of the Hawaiian Kingdom from 1795-1819.
Here’s a quick edit from hours of footage taken at this year’s Kamehameha parade:
https://vimeo.com/43864752
Hope you enjoy!