Kōloa Plantation Days celebrates past, present, future during 40th Anniversary

In 1835, Kōloa Plantation opened, and soon became Hawaiʻi’s first successful sugar mill, marking the start of a new era with immigrant workers arriving from Japan, China, the Philippines and other countries. 

To celebrate the sugar mills’ sesquicentennial and the people of diverse ethnicities who also built the community, the entire population of Kōloa, numbering around a thousand at the time, gathered in 1985 for a small parade, a lūʻau and other activities.

Marty Kuala was on the plantation board at the time and assisted with the inaugural event. Four decades later, the now 85-year-old will serve as the parade Grand Marshal for Kōloa Plantation Days 40th Anniversary.

Kuala said she is completely overwhelmed: “There are so many people who are so worthy of this honor.”

While the sugar mill closed in 1996, the annual gathering has grown. Now thousands of people from around the Hawaiian Islands and elsewhere come to Kōloa and Poʻipū to attend the 10-day event that has maintained its roots in honoring the plantation lifestyle.

This is reflected in the themes selected over the years. In 2005 it was “Dancing Plantation Style.” There also has been “Reunion Plantation Style” (2008), “Stories of Our Heritage” (2013), “Planting The Seeds That Nourish The Soul” (2016) and “Farming Plantation Style” (2020).

“Holomua: Riding the Waves of Change,” is the theme of this year’s festival, which begins Friday and runs through July 27. The Hawaiian word holomua means progress and forging ahead. The theme invites the community to reflect on its origins and also to move forward together.

“I love Kōloa and the people, and I am overwhelmed by how Kōloa has kept to their roots, by keeping this celebration alive year after year, because it is so important to keep moving forward,” Kuala said.

Arryl Kaneshiro, a fourth-generation Kōloa resident and president of Kōloa Plantation Days, said Kuala is “a fitting choice tied to our theme.”

As she does each year, Kuala will guide the Old Kōloa Town Historic Walk, this year on July 25 at 10 a.m. She will take participants to the 3rd Koloa Mill and the Monument, while pointing out historic buildings and discussing their previous incarnations as a dispensary, churches, motel for traveling salesmen, supply store for whaling ships, soda factory and other enterprises.

On Saturday, Kualaʻs family will participate in the Festival Opening & The Kōloa Village Pā‘ina (from 5 to 8 p.m. at Kōloa Village) in honor of Kuala and her late husband Joe Kuala, who passed away 14 years ago this week. Together, they owned Progressive Expressions, a successful surf shop in the heart of Kōloa town for more than 30 years.

Her two daughters, Mail and Kehau, as well as her five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, will participate in the parade and will be involved in several events throughout the week.

Additional festivities are held in the small towns of Kōloa and Poʻipū on Kauai’s south shore, featuring paniolo rodeos, plantation style food booths and the joyful sounds of Hawaiian music.

On Monday, the celebration will feature a special visit from Hawaiian master storyteller and cultural practitioner, Lopaka Kapanui, for a session titled “Riding the Waves of Change: A Storytelling.”

With support from local businesses and resorts, the festival features a historic sugar exhibit, craft fairs, and culinary demonstrations, including a hands-on lei poʻo experience.

The featured event, the Annual Park Celebration, will run at a new time, from 2 to 8 p.m. at Anne Knudsen Ballpark in Kōloa on July 26. On the same day, the parade also will have a new start time, at 3 p.m. The headliner for the celebration is Native Hawaiian Henry Kapono, a Grammy-nominated and multi-award-winning singer-songwriter known for his soulful voice and captivating performances.

“This weekend is all about celebrating our past, our present and our future,” Kaneshiro said.

Kaneshiro’s great-grandparents immigrated to Kauaʻi from Okinawa and also worked at the plantation. He explains that the plantations’ diverse immigrant community is what makes this annual celebration so special.

Keola Kaiminaauao, Vice President of Kōloa Plantation Days, along with volunteers and Kōloa residents, gathered on Thursday at the Kōloa Union Church to finalize the details and expressed their pride in keeping this tradition and its history alive year after year.

Kaiminaauao, who was just seven during the inaugural celebration, said: “Our parents worked the fields, and my grandfather was a truck driver until it closed in 1996. During that era, many immigrants arrived in mixed groups, as you can see in the table here today.”

Kaiminaauao added: “Thereʻs a lot to learn and it will be a good time.”

Kaneshiro said: “We’re fortunate to have people born and raised in the area, and who are wholly invested in the event. We couldn’t do this event without our volunteers, and we are happy that everyone is a part of it.”

Maluhia Road will be closed at Kaumualiʻi Highway on Friday in preparation for the Kōloa Plantation Days celebration. During this time, motorists are advised to utilize Kōloa Road to access Kōloa town from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Road closures on July 26 will begin at 2 p.m. and will remain in effect until 5:30 p.m. at Kōloa School. The parade will proceed north on Poʻipū Road, turning right at the intersection with Kōloa Road, and then turn left onto Maluhia Road.

Most events are outdoors and free of charge. For further information, visit koloaplantationdays.com.