Maui's biggest celebration kicks off this weekend. What you need to know

Yahoo

3 days ago

WAILUKU, Hawaii (KHON2) — Aloha Maui Pride kicks off June 1 with a full lineup of celebrations for World Pride Month. The Opening Ceremony on June 1 and the special events through the next couple of weeks lead up to its biggest event, the Maui Pride Festival, on June 14 in Wailuku.
The two-week celebration is expected to draw thousands from across Hawaiʻi and beyond.
'We've been working on this festival since last year's festival ended,' said Sheri Snyder, spokesperson for Aloha Maui Pride. 'Last year, our attendance doubled from the year before. So, if we double this year, it's going to be a little crazy down Market Street. But it'll be fun.'
The events are coordinated by Aloha Maui Pride and the Maui AIDS Foundation.
'We do a lot of Pride Month celebrations,' Snyder said. 'The pride festival on the 14th, we do in partnership with Maui AIDS Foundation. So, we're 50/50 partners with them for festival day.'
KHON2.com was able to catch up with Commissioner Joe Tolbe who represents Maui on the Hawai'i State Commission on LGBTQ+ Affairs.
'I'm Proud and Honored to represent Maui! I've watched the AMP committee pull together to make this year's events bigger and better than last year,' said commissioner Tolbe. 'They each have grown and added their own ideas and creative talents to this year events '
Visitors and residents are invited to take part in a series of gatherings that celebrate visibility, diversity and communit, from a family night to a beach barbecue and a sunset cruise.
'We're celebrating unity, or lōkahi,' Snyder said. 'A big portion of the people that attended the festival last year were not only the LGBTQ+ community, but the community of Maui.'
Here's what to know and how to prepare.
The official opening blessing will take place Sunday, June 1 during the PRIDE Brunch at Nalu's in Kihei from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The blessing begins at 9:15 a.m.
The Pride flag will be raised at the Kalana O Maui County Building on Wednesday, June 4 at 10 a.m. This will be followed by a no-host lunch at 808 Old Town Deli & Bistro.
Youth and Family Night returns Friday, June 6 at Kalama Park Pavilion in Kihei from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
'We do a party for the kids over at Kalama Park and the pavilion there,' Snyder said. 'We have a bouncy house, and we have face painters. And we have games and crafts and all kinds of things. And we get pizza from Pizza Madness; so, they have something to eat while they're playing.'
On Saturday, June 7, Aloha Maui Pride hosts a sunset cruise with the Pacific Whale Foundation that departs from Māʻalaea Harbor at 5 p.m.
'We take about 100 of our best friends out on a boat and put on some dance music and have some food,' Snyder said. 'It's a really great little party before the festival.'
Sunday's beach BBQ will be held June 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kamaole III Beach Park in Kihei. The event offers a casual gathering to rest, reflect and recharge.
On Friday, June 13, local music legends Amy Hānaialiʻi Gilliom and Eric Gilliom take the stage at Nalu's in Kihei from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The sibling duo brings soulful mele and cultural pride to an evening of kanikapila.
The Pride Festival on Saturday, June 14 runs from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Market Street in Wailuku, with a closing blessing to end the evening.
Festivalgoers can expect live entertainment, drag performances, a fashion show, vendors, food trucks and a new jumbo screen.
'We have all kinds of entertainment,' Snyder said. 'There's a hula group coming and just all kinds of things, and we're going to have an LCD screen at the opposite end of the street.'
Snyder said the screen allows people to see the stage even while browsing vendors or grabbing food.
'We're trying to take care of our attendees a little better so that they don't miss anything while they're shopping or eating,' Snyder added.
Pride isn't complete without amazing entertainment. Here's what Aloha Maui Pride as planned.
3 p.m. will feature Dance music from Sound man Justin.
3:30 p.m. will be the Blessing.
3:40 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. is the opening act.
4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. will feature Hula Hālau Kauluokalā led by Kumu Hula Uluwehi Guerro.
5:35 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. you can watch a performance by JRoq & Melani.
6:35 p.m. to 6:55 p.m. features performances from ManCandy Productions.
7:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. will be the Full Flava Band.
The celebration continues Saturday night at Da Playground at the Māʻalaea Harbor Shops from 8 p.m. to midnight.
'Come out to thank each member of the AMP committee by showing up and spreading the word,' said commissioner Tolbe. 'It can and will be a success when we ALL come together to show our pride on our island of MAUI!'
Maui Pride is more than a celebration. 'We're celebrating unity,' Snyder said. 'We're celebrating community.'
To learn more about schedules, events, venues and entertainment, click . You can also follow them on .
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From blessings to beach days, Aloha Maui Pride said they are focusing on this as a time to uplift each other and honor the island's spirit of inclusion.
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