Kamehameha Day Parade

The Royal Order of Kamehameha leads the royal societies in the Commemorative Parade to honor King Kamehameha the Great on a Saturday near to June 11 in Lahaina. Kamehameha was the monarch who unified the Hawaiian Islands into one kingdom in 1810 after years of conflicts.

The ladies of Ahahui Kaahumanu ride in convertibles and wave to spectators down the one-mile route from Kenui Street along Front Street to Shaw Street. We are fortunate to also ride in air conditioned luxury in a tour bus provided by the Royal Order to take us back and forth from Kahului to the parade start and finish. It’s a fun Hawaiian cultural event with pa’u riders representing the islands, floats, and community groups participating.

(Photo taken of Maryanne Gomes, Mele Fong, and Marilyn Kusunoki riding in the parade in Lahaina, 2017)

by Mele Fong

Mele Fong is a professional singer, song arranger, and master of multiple strumming styles for the 'ukulele. She is an experienced educator with over 50+ years experience playing the 'ukulele and entertaining worldwide. Mele performs with her husband in the duo "The Hawaiian Serenaders" and leads student groups. In 1996, the duo represented the State of Hawai'i in concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Mele and her husband Richard Tom were both born and raised on Oahu and now reside in Maui.