Live Aloha

Seattle Center Festál presents Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival in partnership with the Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival Committee. The festival shares cultural roots and contemporary influences of Hawaii through music, hula, ono food, marketplace, workshops, and more.

This event is free and open to the public.

HISTORY

In 2018, Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

DID YOU KNOW? 

In 1778, there were 1,000,000 Hawaiians living and thriving on the Hawaiian islands. By 1822 and the introduction of missionaries and disease, there were only 200,000 pure Hawaiians alive. By 1922, there were only 24,000 and today, there are less than 8,000 alive.

There are over 50,000 Native Hawaiians living in Washington State.

A common misconception is all people from Hawaii are Hawaiians. Hawaiian is a culture, race, language, and an indigenous group of people. The ancient Hawaiians felt a deep connection with nature and explained everything from the creation of Earth to the lava that formed the Hawaiian islands through the stories of their gods and goddesses.

Early Hawaiians were master non-instrument navigators. Using only the sun, moon, stars, and waves, the Hawaiians were known to traverse the Pacific, resulting in the occupations of many small islands in Polynesia.

The I’olani Palace, completed in 1882, was the official residence of the Hawaiian monarchs. It was ahead of its time and outfitted with the most up-to-date amenities, including the first electric lights in Hawaii, indoor pluming, and a telephone.