E komo mai (welcome) to the 2026 Lei Court Candidates!

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E komo mai (welcome) to the 2026 Lei Court Candidates!
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E komo mai (welcome) to the 2026 Lei Court Candidates!

Candidates for the 2026 Lei Court. From left to right: Puamana Garcia, Chariya Willis, Dion’e Ka‘eo, ʻAlohilani Alegarbes, and Melissa Nobriga-Petrichko

The City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) bids a fond e komo mai (welcome) to the contestants to the 2026 Lei Court! They include:

ʻAlohilani Alegarbes
Chariya Willis
Dion’e Ka‘eo
Melissa Nobriga-Petrichko
Puamana Garcia

On Saturday, February 28 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mission Memorial Auditorium these five amazing candidates will take part in the Lei Court Selection event to determine the members of the 97th Lei Court. During the selection event, participants will display their lei-making abilities, hula performance, poise, personality, and public speaking in English and Hawaiian. It’s a fantastic display of Hawaiian culture, with all ages welcome to witness the free event!

Once selected, the Lei Court will preside over the 98th Annual Lei Day Celebration festivities, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, May 1 at Kapi‘olani Park. They will also serve as the City’s Ambassadors of Aloha at a variety of public events throughout 2026.

Can’t make it to the selection event? You can also show your love for the Lei Day Celebration by taking part in a national competition to designate the annual event as the “Best Flower Festival” in the country!
From now until 7 a.m. (HST) Monday, March 2, 2026 everyone is invited to take part in USA Today’s online contest by casting their vote at: bit.ly/voteleiday

You can vote once a day, so make sure to check and see how our annual tradition is fairing. The winners of the contest will be announced in mid-March. Let’s show the rest of the U.S. that Lei Day is no ka oi (number one)!
History of the Lei Day Celebration

The lei is known the world over a symbol of aloha. Great care is taken in the gathering of the materials before they are fashioned into a lei. As this is done, the mana (spirit) of the creator of the lei is sewn or woven into it. Therefore, when you give a lei you are giving a part of you. Likewise, as you receive a lei, you are receiving a part of its creator.

While lei have been crafted and given in Polynesian culture for thousands of years, the first Lei Day Celebration was celebrated on May 1, 1927 with a few people wearing lei in downtown Honolulu. Over time, more and more people began to wear lei on May 1, and thus began the tradition of “May Day is Lei Day in Hawai‘i.” The first lei Queen, Miss Nina Bowman, was crowned by then Honolulu Mayor Charles Arnold in 1928.

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when large, in-person events were restricted, our island community found innovative ways to celebrate this uniquely Hawaiian holiday. This included a video presentation to mark Lei Day in 2021, and the Nā Lei Koa in 2020 to honor our first responders.

Today, the celebration is held throughout Queen Kapiʻolani Napelakapuokakaʻe’s namesake park on the first of May (regardless of the day of the week, rain or shine).

The all-day event features a wide variety of island musical & hula performances, Hawaiian cultural protocol, the world-renowned Lei Contest, lei-making workshops, artisans and merchants all in a family friendly setting!
The Lei Court ‘Ohana reign over the festivities, which begin with a performance from the fabled Royal Hawaiian Band (the only municipal band in the country). Then the court enters the parks bandstand, greeted with hula and giving of ho‘okupu (gifts), during the Lei Court Ceremony. Once the ceremony is complete, the court inspects and officially opens the Lei Contest for public viewing. The coveted Lei Contest Exhibit showcases some of the world’s most exquisitely handcrafted lei in a variety of materials, colors, and styles. The public viewing of these lei lasts throughout the rest of the celebration, and is finalized on May 2 during the closing ceremony at Mauna ‘Ala (The Royal Mausoleum) and Kawaiāha‘o Church. At that time, flower lei from the Lei Contest are placed on the graves of Hawai‘i’s ali‘i (royalty) as a final display of mahalo and aloha.

Never experienced a Lei Day Celebration in person? This DPR YouTube video will give you an idea of the magic and beauty of this time-honored tradition. Numerous community and governmental agencies support this time-honored tradition, including the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority and Hula Grill Waikīkī. For more information about all things Lei Day Celebration visit this timeless tradition’s dedicated website at: bit.ly/HonoluluLeiDay

–PAU–

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Kaimuki Hawaii News Item

E komo mai (welcome) to the 2026 Lei Court Candidates!

Kaimuki Hawaii
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