Finishing touches added to Aloha Festivals floats before annual floral parade

HONOLULU (KHON2) — The nearly month-long Aloha Festivals will come to an end on Saturday, Sept. 27, with the colorful 77th annual floral parade.

WakeUp2Day’s Bryan Min got a chance to preview the floats at the Hawaii Convention Center before they hit the Waikiki streets.

Aloha Festivals Parade Chair Makana McClellan said attendees can expect some new and exciting things for this year’s parade, including an international band.

“We’re very pleased that we have more floats and more bands this year, which is very exciting. We have a full pāʻu unit, a tribe of 12. And I think one of the cool things this year is that our Grand Marshal is going to be the grandfather of poke, Sam Choy,” McClellan explained.

The 2023 Pāʻu Queen, Kuʻuipo Lorenzo, also joined WakeUp2Day to showcase this year’s pāʻu queen float, which she said carries the spirit of the ancestors to the children of the next generation and represents paniolo culture.

Anyone who plans to attend the parade, especially kamaʻāina, should head down to Waikiki early and make a day out of it, McClellan said.

For more information on parking and road closures, visit their website.

Can’t make it to Waikiki? Catch the parade LIVE on KHON2, KHON2.com and KHON+ from 10 a.m. to noon.