It’s a modern-day glimpse of Old Hawaii.
In the area on Kauai’s south shore where Hawaii’s first commercial sugar plantation began operations in 1835, a 10-day celebration is held each summer. Residents of Koloa and Poipu – many of whom are descendants of sugar plantation workers – gather for the Koloa Plantation Days festival to enjoy food, music, games, and competition. And they get a chance to look back at the history that began nearly 200 years ago.
“My family has been in Koloa since the early 1900s. I’m the fourth generation to grow up there,” says Arryl Kaneshiro, president of the Koloa Plantation Days festival. “This event draws a lot of people and is a tradition in our community.”
A wide variety of family events are in store during this year’s festival. Everything from a backyard barbecue and rodeo to begin the festival, to keiki events like fishing and mini golf, to historic tours, cultural exhibits, a Polynesian dance review, and a fun run. The festival’s final days feature a parade through the streets of Koloa and a large celebration in Anne Knudsen (Koloa) Park.
Festivities include a keiki hula show.
One of the highlights for those who are able to go (reservations required) is a tour of the site of the last Koloa Mill, built in 1913, where sugar cane (ko) was milled and grew to what became known as Hawaii’s largest industry. The earlier mill built in 1841 in the heart of Koloa town is no longer there, but remnants of the building remain. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. government in 1962.
The annual Koloa Plantation Days festival grew from just a single event. In 1985, a luau was held to mark the 150th anniversary of the sugar industry. Phyllis Kunimura, a community leader, heard around town that the event was such a success that she and her husband, Kauai Mayor Tony Kunimura, asked the event organizers if they would do it again. And they did.
The event has been held every year since and only took a break during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Kaneshiro says it’s come back stronger than ever in the last couple of years.
“Attendance was huge last year and it was a good mix of both residents and visitors,” he says. “It’s a tradition that keeps growing.”
Attendees enjoying the parade.
A couple of weeks before the event begins, Kaneshiro says volunteers work with the county to clean the “tunnel of trees” on Maluhia Road that leads into Koloa. “Once you see that the road is closed and the cleanup is happening, you know that the Koloa Plantation Days celebration is going to be starting up real soon.”
This year, Koloa Plantation Days will be held July 19-28. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Our Home Town.” Admission is free for almost everything, but capacity may be limited for some events. A complete schedule of events can be found at koloaplantationdays.com.
Photos courtesy Koloa Plantation Days.
