Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo in Hilo, Hawaii, recently announced that it will hold a celebration of the birth of Hawaiian icon Queen Liliʻuokalani on Saturday, Sept. 9. Hotel guests and island locals alike are invited to take part in the festivities.
"On this day, in our continuous effort to support our neighbor island Ohana on Maui after the heart wrenching devastation they recently experienced, Grand Naniloa Hotel will donate 10% of the Hotel's Lobby Bar food and beverage sales to the relief effort and Hilton Corporation will provide dollar-for-dollar matching of these contributions," said Hotel General Manager Scout Pauli, according to a press release.
Per to the press release, one year ago, Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo started its Ka ‘Imi Pono program, whose goal is to preserve, protect and perpetuate native Hawaiian culture and history, emphasizing the Hawaiian language ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.
Queen Liliʻuokalani was the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, and some of her notable contributions to Hawaiian culture include composing the Hawaiian anthem “Aloha ‘Oe” and her 1898 autobiography “Hawaiʻi's Story by Hawaiʻi's Queen.”
According to the press release, the day’s festivities will begin at 10 a.m. with a tribute to Queen Liliʻuokalani at the Liliʻuokalani Gardens, which will continue to the hotel at noon. For the rest of the afternoon and evening, there will be music, Hula performances and a Lei Hulu exhibit. The performers will include Kamalani Kapaliela, Hālau Hula Heleleʻi Pua O Waipio – Kumu Hula Haleakalā Sakata, Hālau Nā Pua ʻO ʻUluhaimālama – Kumu Hula Emery Aceret, Hālau Ke ʻOlu Makani O Mauna Loa – Kumu Hulu Meleana Manuel, Christy Lassiter & Kyle Ka’a’a, and regularly scheduled performances by Stan Combis & Keoki Kahumoku and Kamalani Kapeliela. KAPA radio host Alakaʻi Paleka will be the emcee of the event from noon to 5 p.m. This celebration is being done in partnership with the County of Hawaiʻi. The hotel’s bar will be open from noon to midnight.
Grand Naniloa Hotel Hilo is owned by DoubleTree by Hilton.