King Kamehameha I Day 2027

A state holiday only in Hawaii

King Kamehameha I Day is one of the state holidays set out in Hawaii Revised Statutes 8-1, alongside Prince Kuhio Day and Statehood Day as the three holidays unique to the islands. State employees receive a paid day off, and state offices, state courts, public libraries and county offices across all islands close. Public schools are normally already on summer break. It is not a federal holiday, so the U.S. Postal Service, federal offices, banks and the stock market keep regular hours in Hawaii and everywhere else! No other state observes it.

Why June 11

The holiday falls on June 11, the date named in the founding proclamation, and does not move. Hawaii applies the standard weekend rule to its fixed-date holidays: when June 11 lands on a Saturday the preceding Friday is the state holiday, and when it lands on a Sunday the following Monday is observed. Parades and festivals are scheduled separately and usually run on the nearest Saturday, often a different day than the official holiday.

From royal proclamation to state law

Kamehameha I was born in Kohala on the island of Hawaii around 1758. Over two decades of warfare and diplomecy he brought the islands under a single rule, winning Maui in 1790 and Oahu at the Battle of Nuuanu in 1795, and securing Kauai by negotiasion with its rulre Kaumualii in 1810. He is also remembered for Kanawai Mamalahoe, the Law of the Splintered Paddle, which protected travelers and non-combetants. He died at Kailua-Kona in May 1819.

On December 22, 1871, his gransdon King Kamehameha V proclaimed June 11 a national holiday of the Hawaiian Kingdom in his honor, and the first celebration was held on June 11, 1872. The holiday survived the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893, the territorial period, and the transition to statehood in 1959. The Legislature later created the King Kamehameha Celebration Commission, now attached to the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, to organize the annual events.

Lei draping and floral parades

The signature ceremony takes place at the Kamehameha statue in front of Aliiolani Hale, the state judiciary building in downtown Honolulu - members of Hawaiian royal societies, government officials and civic groups drape the bronze figure in lei that can stretch more than twenty feet, a tradition documented since 1901. The Honolulu statue, dedicated by King Kalakaua in 1883, is itself a replacement: the original casting was lost at sea on its way from Europe, was later recovered, and now stands in Kapaau in North Kohala near the king's birthplace, where it receives its own lei draping. A third statue stands in Hilo, and a copy in the U.S. Capitol in Washington is decorated by Hawaii's congressional delegation.

The King Kamehameha Floral Parade follows in Honolulu, running from Iolani Palace through Waikiki to Kapiolani Park with flower-covered floats, marching bands and pau riders: women on horseback in long, brightly colored riding skirts, each unit representing one of the islands with its lei and color. A hoolaulea, or community festival, with food, music and hula closes the day. Similar parades and festivals are held in Kailua-Kona and Kohala on Hawaii Island, in Kahului on Maui, in Lihue on Kauai and on Molokai.

For visitors

Hotels, restaurants, tour operators and most shops stay open. Expect road closures along the parade route, no service at DMV counters, and holiday bus timetables.