Saturday marks the 50th birthday of Hōkūleʻa, the voyaging canoe that launched from Kualoa in 1975, bringing back the tradition of wayfinding, breathing life into the native Hawaiian cultural revitalization and inspiring many a generation around the world to connect to the Earth and our oceans.

What You Need To Know

  • Saturday marks the 50th birthday of Hōkūleʻa, the voyaging canoe that launched from Kualoa in 1975

  • The public is invited to welcome the “Star of Gladness” together with Hikianalia and their crews as they arrive at Kualoa at 8 a.m.

  • For those unable to attend the event in person, a livestream will be available on Hōkūleʻa’s YouTube channel from 8 a.m., as well as broadcast on K5 via Hawaii News Now

  • Following Hōkūleʻa’s commemorative program, the Kualoa/Hakipuʻu Waʻa Festival gets underway from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The public is invited to welcome the “Star of Gladness” together with Hikianalia and their crews as they arrive at Kualoa at 8 a.m. The 50th Anniversary Commemoration begins at 9 a.m. with welcoming protocols, remarks by Mayor Rick Blangiardi, remembrances, words by PVS CEO and Pwo Navigator Nainoa Thompson, and more. The event will honor Polynesian Voyaging Society founders Herb Kawainui Kāne, Tommy Holmes and Dr. Ben Finney, along with elders Myron Pinky Thompson and Papa Mau Piailug.

Welcoming protocols will be led by the hosting community, Hakipuʻu ʻOhana, and the extended family of voyaging communities, ʻOhana Waʻa, with schools, organizations and families taking part.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the crew will accept hoʻokupu for Māmā Hōkūleʻa.

For those unable to attend the event in person, a livestream will be available on Hōkūleʻa’s YouTube channel from 8 a.m., as well as broadcast on K5 via Hawaii News Now.

Following Hōkūleʻa’s commemorative program, the Kualoa/Hakipuʻu Waʻa Festival gets underway from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Family-friendly cultural activities, storytelling, voyaging education, waʻa tours, paddling, sailing, food booths and entertainment will be available for all to enjoy.

Parking at Kualoa Regional Park will be first-come, first-served. The city’s Department of Parks and Recreation expects hundreds, if not thousands, of attendees, so allow time for traffic. Parking attendees and special duty Honolulu Police Department officers will be on-site to help with traffic flow.

People are also asked to bring a refillable water container; water will be provided by Kokua Hawaii Foundation and Plastic Free Hawaii.

At approximately 2:30 p.m., Hōkūleʻa will depart Kualoa for the Hawaii Convention Center. Then on Sunday morning at about 8:30 a.m. when the tide is low, she will move beneath the Ala Moana Boulevard/Ala Wai Bridge along Ala Wai Canal and dock below the grand staircase of the convention center.

On Sunday night, the Hōkūleʻa 50th Birthday Gala Fundraiser takes place at Hawaii Convention Center with funds going to support the mission of PVS to perpetuate voyaging traditions and protect the worlds’ oceans.

On Monday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., the public is invited to step aboard the voyaging canoe and hear from young crew members and navigators who are training to take leadership roles in the next chapters of the Moananuiākea Voyage.

The final public event to celebrate Hōkūleʻa’s 50th birthday takes place 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. March 14 at Bishop Museum as part of the museum’s monthly After Hours Event.

Sarah Yamanaka covers news and events for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.