Aloha Festivals Aloha Festivals The Aloha Festivals are an annual series of free cultural celebrations observed in the state of Hawaii in the United States. It is the only statewide cultural festival in the nation. Highlights include the presentation of the Royal Court, a ho'olaule'a in Waikiki, and the Floral Parade. Approximately 30,000 people volunteer to plan, organize, and provide labor for the Aloha Festivals each year. Their efforts entertain over 1,000,000 people from throughout the state and visitors from all over the world. In the spirit of preserving the Hawaiian culture and heritage, the Aloha Festivals were established in 1946 as
Aloha Camp by Harriet Farnsworth Gulick and Edward Leedss Gulick, both of whom grew up in missionary families with a history of service. The camp was named "Aloha" from the Hawaiian word meaning "welcome" (among other definitions). Edward Gulick was born and raised in Honolulu, and it is from this upbringing that the camp acquires its Hawaiian touches. The camp was so successful that the Gulicks soon opened Aloha Hive Camp on Lake Fairlee, for girls from 7 to 12 and another in Pike, New Hampshire, for girls from 17 to 70 (now closed), and in 1922 Lanakila Camp for boys, also