Huakaʻi Wahi Pana | Mayor's Office of Culture and the Arts

Huakaʻi Wahi Pana is a free, public five-day summer event series focused on deeper explorations of storied places on Oʻahu. This series aims to connect ʻohana and community members with the profound cultural, environmental, and ancestral significance of sacred spaces within Native Hawaiian history.

Each half-day gathering activates a public art installation situated in different moku of Oʻahu:

1. Day 1: Kahe Point (ʻEwa/Waiʻanae)

   – A mural designed as an ʻupena by Solomon Enos and Meleanna Aluli Meyer.

2. Day 2: Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden (Koʻolaupoko)

   – Four vertical Corten steel sculptures by Kaili Chun.

3. Day 3: Haleʻiwa Beach Park (Waialua)

   – Sculptures of Laniwahine by Jordan Souza and Amber Khan.

4. Day 4: Koko Crater Botanical Garden (Kona)

   – Cyanotypes inspired by Queen Liliʻuokalani’s song by Ualani Davis.

5. Day 5: Kapiʻolani Park (Kona)

   – Aluminum signage by Koloikeao Anthony.

Supported by a Bloomberg Philanthropies grant, Huakaʻi Wahi Pana represents a phase of community engagement through educational programming, continuing to deepen understanding of Native Hawaiian history.

The mission of Wahi Pana is to inspire residents and visitors to engage with moʻolelo and lesser-known histories, thereby sharing these narratives more broadly.

Each day includes guided storytelling, cultural demonstrations, and interactive activities for keiki and ʻohana, all intended to strengthen intergenerational knowledge-sharing and foster meaningful relationships between the community and ʻāina.