Pan-Pacific Fest. and Parade

---

On the weekend of the 10th and 11th of June the Pan-Pacific Festival was held; the same weekend as the Kamehameha Day Celebration. I would think it would have been much nicer to keep the celebrations on separate weekends, especially since a parade was held though busy Waikiki, 2 days in a row. But, hey, everybody loves a parade, so it was no problem for me. The ones who suffered, however, were the hotel guests who needed to access or depart from their hotels to catch their planes. It meant they had to walk a few blocks, with their luggage to a street not blocked off to traffic. Well, enough of the negatives and let's get to the positives.

The Pan-Pacific Festival, it's origin and purpose is not too clear to me, but seems like a Japan sponsored festival to promote friendship, cultural exchange, and goodwill. Obviously lots of expense was unspared, as several groups from Japan and the U.S. Mainland came to participate as well as many Local Groups, as my photos will show.

Groups such as local Chinese Lion Dancers, Korean Cultural performers, Okinawan Drummers, Taiko Drummers, Judo and other Martial Art Clubs, Church Groups and Polynesian Dancers were heavily represented.

After the Parade, the Sunset on the Beach which featured a movie on a large screen topped off a busy weekend.

---

Photos

Kolorful Koreans.
Kimchi, Taekwondo, Hyundae, Samsung, KIA, K-Pop, Daejanggeum-Korea is making their mark in the world.

View of Fire from My Bldg.
This shot, obviously have nothing to do with the subject, but is so dramatic, wanted to share it. It's a fire that destroyed a part of the UH Lab School, suspected to have been set by Arsonist.

Taiko Drummers.
Taiko Drummers with Kenny Endo at main drum. He's instrumental in promoting high and skilled Taiko performances and learning in Hawaii. Way to go, Kenny!