Waimea Town Celebration Kicks Off

The Waimea Town Celebration starts tonight with a food and cocktail party and Keola Akau’s country tunes at the Historic Waimea Theater from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Several events throughout the town will continue daily until Feb. 24.

For more than 40 years, the West Kaua‘i Business & Professional Association has hosted the Waimea Town Celebration. The week-long event raises money for WKBPA projects such as the Historic Waimea Theater and the ongoing restoration of Russian Fort, built over the Pa‘ula‘ula Heiau during the reign of King Kaumuali‘i. Nonprofit and sports teams also have the opportunity to raise money — and for many, the event is their largest fundraiser for the year.

Sunday, there will be a King Kaumuali‘i Celebration at the Waimea Theater from 5 to 8 p.m.

On Monday, there will be an all-day encore of films featured at the 37^th Annual Hawai‘i International Film Festival in Honolulu, starting at 9:30 a.m. and ending at 7:30 p.m.

On Tuesday, this year’s celebrations go outside, more precisely at Hofgaard Park. For three straight days — Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday — there will be traditional and live contemporary Hawaiian music at the park, alongside local artisans and food. Still on Wednesday and Thursday, the theater will also hold music and storytelling events.

On Friday and Saturday, the festival’s last two days, a large ho‘olaule‘a will take place at Waimea’s Old Sugar Mill site. Friday’s party starts at 5:30 p.m. and goes until midnight, with five bands lined up. On Saturday, the party starts at 10 a.m., and eight bands are scheduled to play until midnight, with a break at noon for an ice-cream eating contest, followed by the ‘Ukulele Contest.

Visit www.waimeatowncelebration.com for more information and a detailed list of events.