Pan Pacific Festival returns to Waikiki

WAIKIKI—The 2011 Pan Pacific Festival returns to Waikiki this weekend, with three days of multi-cultural activities to include hula, traditional Japanese dance, and traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music.

This year, the festival celebrates the theme of “Arigato Hawaii” in honor of the tremendous outpouring of support from Hawaii received by victims of the Sendai earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disasters in Japan.

On Friday, the Pan Pacific Festival Hoolaulea will feature four stages of entertainment along Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki. This, the festival is proud to present for the first time the Na Hoku Hanohano Stage, which will feature past and current nominees and winners of the prestigious Hawaiian music awards.

In addition to several traditional performing arts groups from Japan, as well as world famous performer Pali, several Hawaiian groups will perform at the Pan Pacific Concert at Sunset on the Beach in Waikiki Saturday.

Sunday’s Pan Pacific Parade will march down Kalakaua Avenue on Sunday, featuring a wide variety of cultural groups and performers from Japan, Hawaii and the Mainland.

For more information and the event schedule, visit www.pan-pacific-festival.com.