Lei Day in Hawaii: May 1 Celebrations + Where to Watch (2026)

What Is Lei Day?

Lei Day is celebrated every year on May 1 across Hawaii. It is the state's official holiday dedicated to the lei — the garland of flowers, leaves, shells, or feathers that is one of the most recognized symbols of Hawaiian culture. Unlike many holidays, Lei Day is joyful, fragrant, and deeply participatory. It is also completely free.

The holiday was created in 1927 by poet and journalist Don Blanding, who proposed a day for everyone in Hawaii to wear lei. The phrase "May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii" became a statewide slogan. The first official celebration was held that same year, and the tradition has continued without interruption ever since — nearly 100 years of flowers.

Lei Day 2026 at Kapiolani Park

The flagship Lei Day celebration takes place at Kapiolani Park in Honolulu, near the Waikiki Shell. Events on May 1, 2026 include:

• Lei Competition: The centerpiece of the day. Competitors enter handcrafted lei in multiple categories — fresh flowers, feathers, seeds, shells, and kukui nuts. Categories also include miniature lei, lei po'o (head lei), and haku (woven) styles. Judging happens in the morning; the entries are displayed for public viewing all day.
• Lei Queen and Court Coronation: A Lei Queen is crowned each year at the ceremony, representing Hawaii's lei-making tradition.
• Hula Performances: Live hula throughout the afternoon at the park bandstand, performed by halau representing all islands.
• Live Hawaiian Music: Slack key guitar, ukulele, and contemporary Hawaiian music performers throughout the day.
• Lei Making Demonstrations: Cultural practitioners demonstrate various lei-making styles; visitors can often try simple techniques themselves.

What Lei to Wear

On Lei Day, everyone in Hawaii wears lei. Schools assign different flower colors to each grade level; office workers show up with plumeria lei; construction workers wear maile. There is no wrong lei for Lei Day. Some options:

• Plumeria: The most iconic Hawaii flower lei, available at any grocery store or lei stand for $3-$8
• Tuberose (Polianthes): Intensely fragrant, white, a local favorite — $5-$15 at Chinatown shops
• Pikake (jasmine): The most prized flower lei in Hawaii, small white blossoms with an unforgettable scent — $15-$40 depending on length
• Orchid: Long-lasting and colorful, a good choice if you will be wearing it all day
• Maile: The sacred vine lei worn by men at important occasions — no flowers, just the fresh green leaf with an earthy, sweet scent

Best Places to Buy Lei on May 1

Chinatown's Maunakea Street in downtown Honolulu is the lei capital of Hawaii. Dozens of shops line the street, run primarily by Filipino and Chinese families who have been in the business for generations. Get there early on May 1 — the best and freshest lei sell out by noon. Other good options include Foodland and Times supermarkets island-wide, Don Quijote on Nimitz Highway, and the KCC Farmers Market on the Saturday before May 1.

Lei Etiquette

• Never refuse a lei — accepting a lei is accepting the love behind it
• Don't wear a lei over your head like a crown — it goes around your neck
• Don't throw away a lei in the trash — return it to the earth by hanging it in a tree, placing it in the ocean, or composting it
• Pregnant women traditionally receive an open-ended lei, not a closed circle

"May Day is Lei Day in Hawaiʻi" — the song was written by Don Blanding and Leonard Hawk in 1928, and the holiday has been state-recognized ever since. Every May 1, Hawaiʻi puts down its work and celebrates the lei: the garland that carries aloha from the hands that made it to the neck of whoever receives it.

Looking for things to do in Hawaii? Browse upcoming events →

Related Reading

• Veterans Day in Hawaii — Where the Observances Happen
• Oahu 7-Day Itinerary: A Full Week in Hawaii Done Right
• Memorial Day in Hawaii — What to Do (Lantern Floating, Punchbowl, Pearl Harbor)

Cover photo: 2023 Hilo Lei Day Festival by NOIRLab/NSF/AURA, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.