Cultural

The Aloha Festival will visit Kaua'i before wrapping up in Maui in October. Festivities include a parade, a dance and a street fair. This festival, which is Hawaii's largest, is more than a half-century old. Its theme changes each year. This festival is entirely volunteer-staffed and draws a total attendance of more than 1 million people. If you're in Kaua'i at the time it visits, you literally won't be able to miss it. Admission is free.

Discover nature's hidden treasure at the Hawaiian State Farm Fair. The place is full of various types of plants and animal exhibits. Exciting rides that will churn your stomach are an added attraction. Check the Web site for details on ticket rates and other offers.

Every year in July, the Obon Dance Festival takes place in order to remember and honor the spirits of the dead. Various participants perform dances in Japanese Buddhist temples as others sing traditional folk songs and priests perform rituals to invite the spirits. Colorful lights are hung over the performers and ancestors are offered flowers and food as a symbol of love and respect.

Produced by the Moanalua Gardens Foundation, this event takes place in the Moanalua Gardens every year. The festival is named after Prince Lot and celebrates Hawaiian culture by inviting hula artistes to perform traditional and modern versions of the popular dance form. The festival lasts only a day, and also includes other demonstrations, such as lauhala weaving, instrument making, and other exhibitions of traditional Hawaiian crafts.

This one-day annual event in Waikiki is a new and unique addition to Honolulu's happening festival scene. Held in May 2006 for the first time, the event has already created a stir among the locals. The festival's concept is to bring together the past and present of Waikiki onto one stage. It's an evening of metamorphosis, when you get to see how this place and its culture has evolved and changed over time. Fashion shows, culinary booths, concerts, and art and craft stalls all reflect these changes. It's a perfect platform to see how the "past" and the "present" meet to shape the future.