June 24th, 2008
July 4th in Hawaii
Independence Day in Hawaii. It’s as American as poi, surfing and the Humuhumukununukuapua’a.
Each year, on all the islands, we celebrate pretty much as you do at home. We cook out, we throw horseshoes, we play softball and volleyball, we splash in the water, we hold parades and we watch fireworks.
At the edge of the Downtown Honolulu Harbor, The Aloha Tower Marketplace will celebrate a day early – on Thursday the 3rd — with live entertainment on several stages, street entertainers, restaurant specials and a fireworks display.
The definitive fireworks display Friday on Oahu will erupt on Magic Island and feature a music simulcast on two Hawaii radio stations. Anyone can pick up a free pair of 3-D fireworks viewing glasses with any purchase at Ala Moana Center starting Tuesday.
On Maui, the fireworks will shoot from a barge moored off of Lahaina, preceded by a concert on the lawn of the Lahaina Public Library.
The Makawao Rodeo and Independence Day celebration has taken place in upcountry Maui for 50 years over the 4th of July weekend. It includes bareback bronco riding, barrel racing, calf roping, live music and country-western dancing.
The Kauai 4th of July festival is held at the Vidinha Stadium in Lihue with live entertainment, food and game booths, and a fireworks display.
On the Big Island, The Parker Ranch 4th of July Rodeo is an award-winning event that includes horse races, team sorting, double mugging, dally team roping and other rodeo events.
Visitors enjoy Turtle Independence Day at Mauna Lani Bay. People gather to celebrate young Hawaiian green sea turtles gaining their freedom. The little amphibians from Sea Life Park on Oahu have been nurtured in the ponds at Mauna Lani Resort and are released into the ocean on July 4.