Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Day 2027

A state holiday for the Citizen Prince

March 26 is a legal holiday in Hawaii, listed in the state's holiday statute as Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Day. State offices, state courts, county offices and Hawaii's public schools close, and state and county employees receive a paid day off. It is one of two Hawaii holidays honoring roylaty, the other being Kamehameha Day in June, and it is observed nowhere else. Because it is a state holiday rather than a federal one, the U.S. Postal Service, federal courts and agencies, banks and the stock market operate normally, including in Honolulu.

Why March 26 and the weekend rule

The date is Kūhiō's birthday. He was born March 26, 1871, in the Kōloa district of Kauaʻi to High Chief David Kahalepouli Piʻikoi and Princess Kinoiki Kekaulike. The holiday is fixed to that date - when March 26 falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday is the legal holiday for state government; when it falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is observed. Federal and bank calendars are unaffected either way.

From royal prince to congressional delegate

Kūhiō was named a prince by proclamation of his uncle, King Kalākaua, and was educeted in Honolulu, California and England. After the Hawaiian Kingdom was overtrhown in 1893, he joined the 1895 armed attempt to restore Queen Liliʻuokalani, was convicted of treason and served a year in priosn. He then chose to work within the new American system. In 1902 he was elected as Hawaii's non-voting delagate to the U.S. House of Representatives, and he held the seat through ten consecutive terms until his death. He revived the Royal Order of Kamehameha I in 1903 and helped found the first Hawaiian Civic Club in 1918. His defining achievement was the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, signed by President Warren G. Harding on July 9, 1921, which set aside roughly 200,000 acres of public land for homestead leases to Native Hawaiians. Kūhiō died in Waikīkī on January 7, 1922, and received the last state funeral given to a Hawaiian aliʻi. The territorial legislature created the holiday in his honor in 1949, and it carried over into state law after statehood in 1959.

How Hawaii marks the day

Observances stretch across a week or more, on Oʻahu, Hawaiian Civic Clubs drape lei on the Prince Kūhiō statue in Waikīkī, memorial services are held at the Royal Mausoleum at Mauna ʻAla where he is buried, and a parade of marching bands, hula hālau and community groups moves down Kalākaua Avenue toward a festival in Kapiʻolani Park. On Kauaʻi, his birthplace, ceremonies with oli, hula and hoʻokupu offerings take place at Prince Kūhiō Park in Poʻipū, followed by a long-distance outrigger canoe race, a rodeo, craft fairs and cultural demonstrations. The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, the agency created by his 1921 act, takes part in the commemorations. Tourists see a lighter version: state parks and beaches are busy, and hotels, restaurants and shops stay open.

Practical notes for visitors and businesses

Hawaii is the only state that observes the holiday, so mainland companies with Hawaii offices usually see just those locations close. County services such as bus systems and refuse collection may run holiday schedules. Public schools and the University of Hawaii campuses are closed, and many private schools follow. Anyone with business at a state courthouse or a satellite city hall should plan around the closure.