6th Annual Kaua'i Polynesian Festival & Banana Poka Roundup?

Aloha,

I was searching for some events that will coincide with our visit May 22-29. Has anyone attended either event and/or offer any advice?

The Polynesian Festival sounds pretty cool for a day trip! The Banana Poka appears to be a mainly environmental educational event %26amp; too family/craft oriented for a late 30 yo couple?

Banana Poka Roundup is Sunday, May 26th:

Hui o Laka and Kokee Natural History Museum present their annual forest education fair. Live music, basket and lei making and Oshibana workshops, exhibitors, family fun and more. Free from 10am-3pm. The festival is named for the resilient and spreading banana poka vines that sport candy-pink blossoms that threatens to crowd out native Hawaiian plants and trees of the upland forest. Banana poka is not the only threat to Kaua%26#39;i%26#39;s native forests. Call Michelle Hookano (808) 335-9975.

6th Annual Kaua%26#39;i Polynesian Festival May 24-27:

11am through the evening at the Vidinha Stadium soccer field (Lihu%26#39;e) for Polynesian entertainment, crafts, dance competitions, food, and more. Entrance fee is $15 for three days or $8/day. For information, contact (808) 335-6466.

Thank you!

6th Annual Kaua'i Polynesian Festival %26amp; Banana Poka Roundup?

Aloha from Kaua%26#39;i!

Okay! The Polynesian Festival first --- this used to be our annual Tahiti Fete, it was HUGE and attracted dance groups not only from our islands but Tahiti as well as the mainland. Since then it has been scaled WAY down and is now an exhibition type Festival only --but if you enjoy watching various types of Tahitian, Maori, Hawaiian dance, want to learn to swing the poi balls, etc. - enjoy some crafters and food -- then I%26#39;d suggest going for an afternoon to this.

It is still nice, but not a competition anymore and really geared much more towards the visitors.

The Banana Poka Festival up in Koke%26#39;e is always good fun -- they will teach you in various workshops how to craft baskets, wreaths, etc. from the invasive plant -- they also usually have some (not many) crafters, food and a band playing. It is really for folks to get the opportunity to make something from these nasty vines that are choking out our native forest up in Koke%26#39;e. It is DEFINITELY craft oriented -- if you weren%26#39;t up to making something, then there isn%26#39;t much to see (other than the park itself) at the Festival.

Up to you - each are vastly different from one another. One strictly a spectator sport, the other a hands-on experience. Personally I always enjoy the Banana Poka Festival even though I am an absolutely dismal crafter -- there is a basket now on my lanai that I made a couple of years ago -- I think I%26#39;ll probably give it another shot this year!

Hope this helps!

Malama Pono,

Janet

6th Annual Kaua'i Polynesian Festival %26amp; Banana Poka Roundup?

Aloha Janet!

We really appreciate your insight, on this and all other topics on this forum! The Banana Poka is probably a little too low key for us, considering our limited time on the island. Sounds like an afternoon at the Polynesian Festival will be on our agenda (either Friday or Saturday). Looks like there will still be some competitions too!

Mahalo nui loa!

Mycal

BTW, I found a full itinerary online if anyone is interested.

kauaipolynesianfestival.org/kauaipolynesianf…

(Thursday is a Grand Luau - 6pm at Hilton Kaua`i Beach Resort )

Friday, May 25, noon – 10 p.m.

Festival this day features a protocol ceremony in which Kaua`i island welcomes visiting friends from Aotearoa, New Zealand with traditional Oli and chant and then in return, Aotearoa reciprocates with their song and dance; Maori Action and Poi Ball Competition; and Hula Kahiko and Auwana Dance Competition. Food, crafts, and a fashion show will be on hand.

Saturday, May 26, noon – 10:30 p.m.

Festival this day features Samoan Fireknife, Maori Action and Poi Ball, and Hawaiian Hula workshops (9 a.m.-11a.m.); Protocol Ceremony in which Tahiti Island offers their traditional dance as a gift to Kaua`i, its host island; Tahitian Otea Exhibition by KPF House Drummers, Annual Tahitian Dance Contest in Otea, Aparima, and Ahupurotu categories; Protocol Ceremony in which Samoa Island pays respect to Kaua`i with their cultural gift exchange and dances of welcome; and Samoan Fireknife Dance Competition. Food, crafts, and a fashion show will be on hand.

Sunday, May 27, 11:30 a.m. – 6 p.m

Festival this day features Vahine/tane Tahitian advance and beginner and Tahitian drumming workshops (9 a.m.-11a.m.); Ori Tahiti Competition; Couples Division Competition; and Awards Ceremony. Food, crafts, and a fashion show will be on hand.

Aloha from Kaua%26#39;i!

Wow, mahalo for the update on the Polynesian Festival -- it sounds as if Auntie Kapu is really trying to do more competitions this year - which can only be a good thing!

Enjoy!

Malama Pono,

Janet

We went to the polynesian festival last month,on saturday evening, and we enjoyed it. There were judges for the constestants, and also highly skilled exhibitions.

Janet may be able to help out here, a few years ago, there was a wonderful fete held inside at the veterans auditorium in Lihue. That was some show, with groups from all over the pacific rim.

However, at this years polynesian festival there were groups from other pacific islands that we saw inlcuding Tonga, and Samoa. Missed the Maori dancers, since they were on friday night. They are my favorites, but Erica wanted to see the samoan fire dancers....what is up with that ? They were great.

Plus there was plenty of food, and local crafts, and free Cava, for those who wanted to try that.

The banana polka festival is exactly the way you and Janet described it.....we attended once, several years ago.

Have some fun !

Denny and Erica

Aloha from Kaua%26#39;i!

The Polynesian Festival has been evolving from one thing to another over the last few years -- for awhile it was called ';Kaua%26#39;i Tahiti Fete'; and was a really big deal - held at Kukui Grove Pavilion (which is now Costco) -- and featured many different dance groups from the Tahitian islands, as well as Hula from Hawai%26#39;i. It was run by a group that apparently fell upon hard times, as it was disbanded for one year, and then taken over by one of our local Kumu Hula%26#39;s - Aunty Kapu-Kinimaka-Alquiza and called the ';Polynesian Festival';. Last year it was much more of just exhibitions and workshops and yes, they did have a fire knife competition of sorts as I recall. This year was again a little different, with Tahitian group and solo competition as well as drumming and various workshops on one day. I guess the fire knife dancers fell through the cracks somewhere!

Hopefully it will keep evolving and become the big event that it once was -- it really did attract dance groups from Tahiti as well as the Mainland and other islands and was pretty well respected.

Thanks for supporting it! Dancers from the hula halau I%26#39;m with took

a 2nd place and a 3rd place in their age divisions -- hooray for them!

Malama Pono,

Janet