Honolulu, HI

On May 10, 2008, my wife and I went to the 16th annual Filipino Festival in Waikiki. There was also a parade which ran along Kalakaua Avenue, but we only attended the festival part of it, which was in Kapiolani Park, across the street from Queen’s Beach. We arrived at the park at around 11 AM and the festival was already in full swing. The park was filled with people celebrating Filipino culture: a musical group performed on a stage with dancers, vendors of all sorts sold food and drinks, arts and crafts, while families and people of all ages walked around experiencing it all.

We had a late breakfast at Crepes No Ka ‘Oi, which served awesome crepes—we had the ham and cheese, but they were also serving a variety of fruity desert crepes.

After we ate we wandered around the festival for a while more, checking out some of the artistic wares on display. Then, we decided to head across the street. to the beach to cool off. At Queen’s beach we did a little snorkeling and sunbathing.

All in all, it was a great way to spend the day. Next year, we might even catch the parade, too.

Tayo ay Nagkakaisa! Together We are One!

Tips & Info:
-Wear sunscreen and a hat
-You may want to make a whole day out of it and go to the beach across the street after the festival—if so, bring a backpack with your beach stuff in it
-Many of the vendors take credit or debit cards, but—especially for the arts and crafts—cash is good for bartering, and a few of them only accept cash
-Come hungry!