City announces Lei Day contest rules

HONOLULU—The Department of Parks and Recreation has announced that May Day lei contest rules are available to the public and may be downloaded from DPR’s website, www.honoluluparks.com, or received by mail. 

You can also brush up on your lei making skills before the contest by participating in one of DPR’s free lei making workshops. The schedule is also available on the DPR website.

The theme for this year’s Lei Day celebration at the Queen Kapi‘olani Regional Park and Bandstand is He Lei No Ka‘ahumanu (A Lei for Queen Ka‘ahumanu). There are three lei contests this year:  Hawaiian lei, youth lei, and lei lipine (ribbon, fabric, yarn lei). The material selected for the theme lei, one of the categories of the Hawaiian lei contest, is hala. 

The deadline to submit the lei lipine entries is Saturday, April 23, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the Makiki District Park parking lot, 1527 Ke‘eaumoku Street. Lei received after the 10:30 a.m. deadline may be displayed but will be ineligible for prizes. No lei lipine entries will be accepted on May 1.

The lei contest exhibit will be open to the public on May 1, from 1 to 5:30 p.m., in the area between the bandstand and the Waikîkî Shell. The exhibit boasts some of the most exquisitely crafted lei in the world in a variety of colors and methods.

The celebration is presented by the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation, and sponsored by Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Times Supermarkets, Ltd., and the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

For more information about the 84th Annual Lei Day Celebration, visit www.honoluluparks.com or call the Parks Department at (808) 768-3041.