May Day in Hawaii is celebrated on the first day of May each year. Many cultures around the world observe May 1 with traditional springtime festivities. On this occasion, the Hawaiian Islands rejoice in a vibrant display of color, floral artistry, music, and dance. As a result, Hawai‘i has cultivated a uniquely rich and deeply rooted cultural observance with Hawaiian lei-making and aloha at its core.
May Day is Lei Day in Hawai’i, Photo by Chloe Ward
Honolulu’s Lei Day Celebration
The City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreations, in conjunction with the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, holds the largest public celebration with its Annual Lei Day gala at Kapi‘olani Park Bandstand in Waikīkī.
This celebration happens on May 1st each year regardless of the day of the week. This year (2025) marks the 97th anniversary of Honolulu’s Lei Day Celebration.
This is the premier event showcasing the skill and talent of Hawai‘i’s lei makers. In particular, the Lei Contest always attracts exquisitely-crafted lei using a wide variety of materials, styles and colors.
Lei makers submit their fresh flower lei for the contest between 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. on the morning of the event. Following the lei judging, the public can view the submissions and winning lei contest exhibit from 1 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
People looking at the Lei Contest submissions on May Day in Hawai’i. Photo by Hawaii News Now.
The Lei Queen and her Court are on hand to meet the public. In addition, the day includes Hawaiian entertainment, hula hālau performances, food, craft and lei vendors.
After the event ends, the flower lei from the Lei Contest are taken to Mauna ‘Ala (The Royal Mausoleum) and Kawaiaha‘o Church where they are placed on the graves and tombs of Hawai‘i’s ali‘i (chiefs and royalty).
Learn More: Find out how to grow your own lei flowers.
The Origins of May Day in Hawai’i
Don Blanding came to Hawaiʻi from Oklahoma in 1915. Before that, he had seen a play called “The Bird of Paradise” that was a romantic, but untrue, story about Hawaiʻi. Upon arrival in the islands, he began writing newspaper ads for Ajinomoto Foods and eventually became a successful author and artist.
In 1927, Blanding and a fellow “Honolulu Star-Bulletin” newspaper writer named Grace Tower Warren came up with the idea of honoring Hawaii’s lei, which they thought to be in decline at the time. Warren came up with the catchy tagline that has been around almost a century – “May Day is Lei Day.”
The original founders of May Day is Lei Day. Photo by Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
The first Lei Day was held on May 1, 1928 and was a rousing success. It took place in the Bank of Hawaiʻi lobby and the official judges for the lei competition that day were:
- Princess Abigail Wahiikaahuula Campbell
- Elizabeth Lahilahi Webb (lady-in-waiting for Queen Liliʻuokalani)
- Aliʻi Lucy Kalanikiʻekiʻe Davis
The lei were judged for the maker’s use of flowers and island colors as designated in 1923 by Hawaiʻi’s Territorial Legislature.
Each island is now symbolized by a specific flower and that island’s designated color:
- Oʻahu – Ilima (Yellow)
- Maui – Lokelani (Pink)
- Kauaʻi – Mokihana (Purple)
- Hawaiʻi – Lehua (Red)
- Molokaʻi – Kukui (Green)
- Lānaʻi – Kaunaʻoa (Orange)
- Niʻihau – Pūpū Shell (White)
- Kahoʻolawe – Hinahina (Gray)
Lei Day Festivities on Other Hawaiian Islands
Kaua‘i
Irmalee & Walter Pomroy founded Kaua’i Museum’s First Annual May Day Lei Contest. Irmalee was honored as a “Living Treasure” in 2002. The Kaua’i Museum along with the Pomroy family continue to honor the tradition.
The Kaua‘i Museum (4428 Rice St., Līhu‘e) hosts a Lei Contest every year in addition to offering lei making classes.
Learn More about the Kaua‘i Museum
Maui celebrates Lei Day at the Bailey House in Wailuku.
Maui
The Maui Historical Society sponsors an annual Lei Day Heritage Festival at the Hale Hō‘ike‘ike at the Bailey House (2375A Main St., Wailuku) in Wailuku. Guests can participate in lei-making workshops, enjoy live Hawaiian music, and view the beautiful lei contest submissions.
Find out more about the Lei Day Heritage Festival here
Big Island of Hawai‘i
Kalākaua Park (136 Kalākaua St, Hilo) in historic downtown Hilo is the site for the annual Lei Day commemoration. Music, hula, a lei contest, and lei making workshops are always part of the cenebration.
Hilo native Kuana Torres Kahele, an entertainer and master lei maker, always lends his knowledge on lei making to the community. The photo above is an example of one of his gorgeous Hawaiian haku lei. Haku is a method of lei making that weaves flower, leaves and other plant material into a braid. Lei po‘o, worn on the head, is a representation of haku.
Kuana Torres Kahele teaches lei making in these VIDEOS.
Everybody Celebrates May Day in Hawai’i
Children have been an important part of Lei Day since the beginning. Photo by Kamehameha Schools.
School Celebrations and the Lei Day Court
May Day celebrations are among my favorite school memories. It’s always an exciting time for kids because parents and grandparents attend the program, and everybody in the class participates in some way.
Almost every school in Hawai’i hosts a Lei Day program. Children do a hula performance in traditional colors and costumes. These celebrations honor Hawaiian royalty, history, and teach the values of aloha, respect, and unity.
Hanalei School festivities on Kaua’i.
Hula and Music: Expressions of Aloha
Hula is central to Lei Day. Traditional hula kahiko and modern hula ʻauana performances bring to life Hawaiian legends, nature, and love stories. Accompanied by chanting (oli) and live music, hula celebrates the depth of Hawaiian cultural identity.
The Aloha Spirit
A lei is a sign of aloha.
Lei Day is a celebration of aloha—the value of compassion, connection, and respect. Giving or receiving a lei is a personal act of love or welcome, often accompanied by a hug or kiss on the cheek.
Making a lei requires intention, patience, and reverence for the natural world—qualities deeply woven into the Hawaiian worldview.
May Day in Hawai’i Highlights Cultural Preservation
Organizations like the Bishop Museum and Office of Hawaiian Affairs help sustain the tradition through education and outreach. Above all, hālau hula (hula schools) host Lei Day events to pass on knowledge and tradition to younger generations.
Even social media plays a role in sharing Lei Day traditions with a global audience. As a result, cultural appreciation grows beyond the islands.
Learn more about the history and culture of Hawaiians and other Polynesian people at the Bishop Museum
Do you know what the Office of Hawaiian Affairs does? Responsible for improving the wellbeing of all Native Hawaiians, learn about this semi-autonomous state agency from their website.
Hula Dancers at Kapi’olani Park in Waikiki.
May Day is a Celebration for Everyone
Lei Day is inclusive and celebrates the mosaic of cultures that call Hawai‘i home. Everyone is welcome to participate, learn, and embrace the meaning of aloha and the cultural symbolism of the Hawaiian lei. You’re part of the ohana (family) on Lei Day.
Lei Day in Hawai‘i is a colorful, heartfelt celebration of tradition, community, and natural beauty. With hula, music, flowers, and aloha at its core, it’s a reminder to pause, honor the past, and connect with each other.
