DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Above left, Haravapuh Dasa, Bob Alvarado and Daiva das
held flowers that they were going to put on their float
yesterday. Because of the cancellation of the Aloha
Festivals parade, they had to load them back into their
truck. They stand to lose all their money.

Aloha Festivals halts
annual floral parade

The cancellation was an
about-face for organizers

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By Lisa Asato and Diana Leone
lasato@starbulletin.com
dleone@starbulletin.com

Yesterday's 11th-hour cancellation of Oahu's Aloha Festivals floral parade had participants reeling with disappointment and anger.

"We're all upset. A lot of preparation went into this," said Del Gosman, president of Imperial Court of All Hawaii. "People have been down here since 3 in the morning every day the last week working on the float."

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Shantel Morn is taking off the covering that was on an
outrigger canoe. The float was to carry the Mrs. Americas
in the Aloha Week Parade.

Janet Hyrne, Aloha Festivals executive director, sympathizes. But parade organizers bowed to public opinion yesterday that the traditionally joyous event, set for 9 a.m. today in Waikiki, was not appropriate so soon after terrorist attacks on the mainland.

"We became more concerned that our tribute would be misconstrued," Hyrne said. "We were getting calls from people that didn't understand why we were doing what we were doing. People in Hawaii have a vision of what our parade is from years past, and they did not think we could change it enough to make it be appropriate."

Secondary reasons for canceling the 54-year tradition of a parade featuring floral floats and lei-bedecked pa'u riders included the number of participants dropping out and uncertainty about volunteer availability, Hyrne said.

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Rogerlyn Kanealii Wakinekona, above left, Ihilani Miller
and Irene Akiona are emotional as they talk about the
Aloha Week Parade being canceled. Their float was to
carry past kings and queens.

"The people of Hawaii always been very gracious, civilized and understanding," she said. "The issue was never that we felt the event was a safety risk."

The parade was canceled about 12:30 p.m. yesterday, and volunteers and staff were still contacting people at 5 p.m. to tell them it was off.

The parade will not be rescheduled for a later date, because of the immense expense of the flowers, Hyrne said. Flowers cost "no less than $10,000 for one set of (about 12) pa'u riders," she said.

Each corps of riders is made up of "ordinary people who hold fund-raisers so they can participate," Hyrne said.

There are still hopes that the Downtown and Waikiki Hoolauleas, originally set for yesterday and next Friday, may be rescheduled for October, Hyrne said.

Total cost to Aloha Festivals, a nonprofit organization, of the two street parties and parade is usually about $100,000, Hyrne said. Losses are not yet clear.

Some participants thought the parade should go on because of the tragedy.

"We understand what's going on; we feel what everybody else feels," said Timon Leong, who hopped a barge to get to Honolulu from Maui. "But we wanted to do it as a memorial for victims."

Organizers planned to hold a photo opportunity with the parade's Royal Court atop a float built by Outrigger Hotels employees today at 10 a.m. at 343 Hobron Lane.

Some groups decided to finish their floats and show them off today at Pier 31.

"When they threw in the towel, we decided we're going to finish the float," said Ihilani Miller, chairwoman of Ahahui Moi o Aloha Week Festivals. "We're going to get dressed up and take a picture on it.

"Hawaiians, when you start something, you finish it."