PHOTO: The Hula Festival on Hawaii Island takes place Nov. 11-14. (All photos courtesy of Hawaii Tourism Authority)

A number of festivals, parades and special events are scheduled on the Hawaiian Islands as we head into the holiday season and early 2016 that you can tell your clients about. The Hawaiian Islands feature something for everyone in the coming months. That includes hula festivals, guitar festivals, arts and crafts events, holiday parades and tree lighting ceremonies, marathons, and homages to the Islands’ history and local figures.

Vacation Agent has gathered up some top festivals, parades and events from Oahu to Hawaii Island scheduled from November 2015 through the first quarter of 2016.

Hawaii Island
Moku O Keawe International Hula Festival, Nov. 11-14: The Hula Festival features hula competitions, workshops on the hula and a marketplace with Hawaiian crafts, hula instruments and more at the Hilton Waikoloa Village.

The Moku O Keawe foundation aims to achieve its mission by sharing the intrinsic values of the Hawaiian culture through the appreciation of the visual and hands-on experience of the symbolic and historical nature of hula. The foundation’s objective is that travelers can share what they learned by attending its cultural workshops, hula competition, exhibits of Hawaii-related arts and crafts, concerts and other events in their community. The Hula Festival runs from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Visit www.mokif.com, email edyap@gmail.com or call 808-640-4866 for more information.

Wailea Village Mochi Pounding Dec. 27: Over the years, Akiko’s has become synonymous with “Mochi pounding.” This will be the event’s 18th year. The event started with 23 people, mostly neighbors and now has grown, welcoming 600-700 folks last year.

Experience what now has become a tradition for many locals and visitors alike at the quiet plantation village. Find out how to make traditional rice cakes the “old-fashioned” way. Everyone takes his or her turn at pounding the glutinous sticky rice for good luck. You can have a hearty “local style” lunch for just $5.

The event also offers New Year’s crafts, food vendors, fortune telling, massage, I Ching readings, floral arrangements, plantation stories, Okinawan taiko drumming, Hawaiian entertainment and more. It’s a great cultural mix of everything that makes Hawaii special. It runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Visit www.akikosbnb.com, email msakiko@hawaii.rr.com or call 808-963-6422 for more information.

Maui
Made in Maui County Festival, Nov. 7: The second annual Made in Maui County Festival will take place at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $5 and children 12 and under are free. More than 130 vendors will offer a wide variety of “Made in Maui County” products, including foods, produce, art, crafts, jewelry, fashion, gifts, collectibles and more. The festival will also include crafts demonstrations, a fashion show, food trucks and prize drawings.

The first 2,000 attendees will receive a free festival tote bag. The festival is co-presented by the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and the Maui Chamber of Commerce. For more information, visit www.MadeInMauiCountyFestival.com, email info@MadeInMauiCountyFestival.com or call (808) 270-2210.

Sun Yat-sen Festival, Nov. 13-14: Lahaina pays tribute to Dr. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925), a Chinese revolutionary and founding father of the Republic of China, known as the Father of Modern China, during the annual Sun Yat-sen Festival at Wo Hing Museum on Front Street from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Watch a martial arts demonstration, an exciting lion dance and a traditional fan dance on the museum lawn.

See large displays depicting the life of Sun Yat-sen from Maui to China along with a film tribute. Enjoy a presentation on the significance of Dr. Sun’s work and his connection to Maui in the old Cookhouse. Sample traditional Cantonese foods and Chinese teas. Wo Hing Museum will be open from 10 a.m. with free admission.

Visit www.lahainarestoration.org, email info@lahainarestoration.org or call 808-661-5553 for more information.

Oahu
Hawaii International Film Festival, Nov. 12-22: Oahu is known as the “Gathering Place” – a crossroads of the Pacific. What better place to experience one of Asia-Pacific’s best film events than at the Hawaii International Film Festival? The event showcases independent feature films and the very best and latest in global cinema. Visit www.hiff.org or more information.

Waikiki Holiday Parade, Nov. 27: Since 1998, the Waikiki Holiday Parade commemorates Pearl Harbor Survivors and the anniversary of the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. The mission of this commemoration is to educate students about this important event in U.S. history and to preserve Polynesian culture.

It also ushers in the holiday season for locals. The week of events and performances on the island, as well as months of preparation leading up to the parade, give students a unique learning experience that they will not soon forget.

Thousands of spectators, residents and visitors gather on the Friday after Thanksgiving to watch this noncompetitive parade, which hosts local bands, marching bands from the mainland U.S., Pearl Harbor Survivors, service bands, military units, local officials, dignitaries and entertainers.

Visit www.waikikiholidayparade.com, email gmf@musicfestivals.com or call 800-331-8579 for more information.

Honolulu City Lights, Dec. 5-Jan. 2: Opening night festivities for the Christmas season, beginning at 6 p.m. on Dec. 5 this year, annually attract thousands of visitors and residents. Mayor Kirk Caldwell will kick off the holiday season with the official tree lighting ceremony featuring a 50-foot holiday Norfolk tree on the lawn fronting the Honolulu Hale, triggering the “corridor of lights” down King and Punchbowl streets. There will also be food booths and children’s rides.

The Electric Light Parade leaves Aala Park, proceeds through Chinatown and down King Street and ends at Honolulu Hale. Santa visits with children in the Mission Memorial Auditorium. Honolulu Hale Courtyard will be open along with a display of Christmas trees decorated by city employees, and there will be a public wreath contest held in the Lane Gallery.

For more information, visit www.honolulucitylights.org or call 808-768-3392.

PHOTO: The Waikiki Arts & Crafts Festival includes local vendors.

Waikiki Arts & Crafts Festival, Dec. 12: Millwood Ohana Productions is excited to announce its first annual Waikiki Block Festivals. The Waikiki Arts & Crafts Festival will feature local island favorites from the best “ono grindz” the island has to offer to a variety of local arts and crafts vendors. The fun doesn’t stop there, however. Bring the keiki (children) for family fun with hula lessons, face painting, carnival games and the chance to win exciting prizes from prestigious companies throughout the island. There will also be zip-lining at Kualoa Ranch, dolphin-viewing excursions and luaus. Bring your yoga mats for some free fitness fun from local studios.

The island DJs will be spinning some of the best island music and party jams to get you in the festival spirit. A portion of all festival proceeds will benefit various charities island-wide. Spread the spirit of aloha and join the fun! The event runs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

For more information or to get involved, contact events@millwoodohanaproductions.com.

Honolulu Marathon, Dec. 13: Thousands of runners from around the world travel to Oahu each year to participate in the Honolulu Marathon. The 26.2-mile scenic course includes spectacular views along world-famous Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head. Visit www.honolulumarathon.org for more information.

Kauai
Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival, Nov. 15: The festival will showcase 15 of Hawaii’s foremost slack key guitar artists in a six-hour-long concert in the beautiful ballroom of the Aqua Kauai Beach Resort & Spa from noon to 6 p.m. The event will also feature island cuisine, artists’ merchandise and artists’ CD giveaways throughout the afternoon, including the prize of a brand-new Taylor Guitar to some lucky winner. Admission is at the door only with no presales.

Visit www.slackkeyfestival.com, email kihoalufoundationinc@yahoo.com or call 808-226-2697 for more information.