It’s March in the islands of aloha — here’s what not to miss!
The emerald isles of Hawaii commemorate both St. Patrick and Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Piikoi and in the month of March, but only the latter — an innovative leader in territorial Hawaii — gets a state holiday on his birthday, March 26. It’s also time to bid aloha and a hui hou, till we meet again, to the migratory humpback whales and their new calves heading back to Alaska for the summer.
Feature Photo: Courtesy of Hawaii Irish Dance
Oahu
Although it wasn’t his intention, Prince Kuhio helped create some of the most popular attractions for modern visitors. During his time as a nonvoting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from 1903 to 1922, he established the Makapuu Point Lighthouse and got Congress to appropriate funds for the dredging and construction of Pearl Harbor.
Here are highlights of events around Oahu in March, including one celebrating Prince Kuhio:
March 8 & 9
The 29th annual Honolulu Festival brings the tastes, sounds and sights of Japan along with local art to the Hawaii Convention Center March 8 and 9. Activities include sampling free sake and Japanese food, visiting craft and food booths, browsing the Honolulu Art Market, watching Japanese films and live music performances, joining bon dances and tossing algae-eating genki balls into the nearby Ala Wai Canal. There’s a special corner for kids, too.
Third Saturday of every month – March 15
The third Saturday of the month is community work day at Loko Ea fishpond in Haleiwa. Sign up in advance to help restore the scenic fishpond, one of Hawaii’s historical treasures, from 9 a.m. to noon, including a free lunch afterward.
March 29
Floats, marching bands, horses bearing paniolo (cowboys) and pā‘ū riders (women in long skirts) and other contingents enliven the Prince Kuhio Parade in Kapolei. The 2-mile route starts at Kapolei Hale at 5 p.m. and winds its way to Ka Makana Alii shopping center, where live music, dining and shopping await.
Maui
Prince Kuhio’s legacy on Maui is easy to see: Just look up to Haleakala National Park, which he helped establish in 1916 as part of a preserve with what is now Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii Island. Sign up with Friends of Haleakala National Park to volunteer in the park’s nursery on the first Tuesday of each month or monthly, multi-day overnight service trips that include camping in tents or cabins.
Here’s what else to watch or nosh on the Valley Isle this month:
March 15
The Maui Ocean Center in Maalaea Harbor hosts a special St. Patrick’s Day edition of its Sharks After Dark event on March 15. Ages 21 and older can ogle the sharks and other denizens in the aquarium’s 750,000-gallon Open Ocean exhibit while enjoying live music, dancing, and Irish-themed food and drink. The Humpbacks in Hawaii 3D experience will also be open for the evening event.
March 15
Learn how to weave a hat from coconut leaves while drinking the relaxing beverage kava, known as ‘awa in Hawaiian, at Maui Nui Botanical Gardens on March 15. While the afternoon workshop at the 5-acre oasis in Kahului is for ages 18 and older, all ages can attend Ho‘omau, an all-day concert in the gardens March 29 that raises funds for Maui schools.
March 29
Citizen scientists and whale lovers should consider taking part in the last day of Pacific Whale Foundation’s 2025 Great Whale Count. Register now to position yourself at one of five West Maui whale-spotting sites (or one of six in South Maui) from 8 a.m. to noon March 29; note that volunteers need to be present for all four hours.
Hawaii Island
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which Prince Kuhio helped establish in 1916, has had at least 10 phases of fountaining and flowing lava in Kilauea volcano’s Halemaumau crater since late December. If you’re heading to the park, be aware the visitor center has relocated to Kilauea Military Camp, about a mile past the former building, which will undergo at least two years of renovations.
Here are more highlights for March on Hawaii Island:
March 8
The 30th Anniversary Kona Brewers Festival will alas be its last, so don’t skip the chance to celebrate craft beer, island cuisine and sustainability on the beachfront luau grounds of Courtyard King Kamehameha Kona Beach Resort. Besides chefs’ food pairings for 18 beers, the experience includes live music, a “Trash Fashion” show, art and live entertainment; tickets support local nonprofits focused on youth, culture and the environment.
March 6
The handsomely restored Hilo Palace Theater hosts the March 6 premiere of “That’s Sew Hilo,” a documentary of sewing, tailoring and clothes-making on Hawaii Island from the humble wear of the plantation era to the high fashion of modern times. Audience members are encouraged to wear their favorite vintage or contemporary aloha wear.
March 10
The Kings’ Shops in the Waikoloa Beach Resort hosts the free St. Patrick’s Day Performance by Hawaii Irish Dance, an award-winning troupe of professional dancers and students, at 6 p.m. March 10. Before the show, adults can sip on a free glass of green beer starting at 3 p.m. in the Shamrock Social Beer Garden, while kids can join the Keiki Scavenger Hunt starting at 4 p.m.; donations support the nonprofit VASH Hawaii.
Kauai
Prince Kuhio Memorial Park on the South Shore holds not only the prince’s birthplace but also a unique fishpond connected to the ocean by a pipe running under the road and ingenious rock walls for practical and decorative uses. Expect to see elaborate lei-draping of the prince’s statue in the park on March 26.
Here are other fun events on Kauai this month:
March 22
Families with young children should reserve a spot now for Splash and Play March 22 at Na Aina Kai Botanical Gardens & Sculpture Park in Kilauea. Offered just once a month and by online reservation only, the event allows kids and their parents to explore the whimsical Under the Rainbow children’s garden, including the enormous Jack’s fountain.
March 7 & 8
Downtown Lihue is hopping this month with art, music and food for a good cause. On March 8, the proceeds from Līhuʻe Feast’s locally sourced catered reception ($100) will support a community project that attendees will choose after hearing proposals while they eat and mingle. Enjoy free live music, art and a pop-up beer garden March 7 at the Aloha First Friday Art Night at the new Hale Lihue.
March 7—29
Artists and illustrators come together annually to depict many of the beautiful plants at National Tropical Botanical Garden’s headquarters in Lawai Valley. The result is the exquisite Florilegium Art Show, a free exhibition at the Garden’s South Shore Visitor Center that opens with an evening reception March 7 (registration required) and runs through March 29.
