MARCH, DANCE AND DRUM FOR PEACE
2ND ANNUAL PARADE AND FESTIVAL FOR THE UNITED NATIONS
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE

Downtown Honoka‘a will join the world in observing the United Nations International Day of Peace on Sunday, September 21, 2008 when its 2 nd Annual Parade and Festival marches down Mamane Street, complete with colorful costumes, eclectic music and international entertainment. This one-of-a-kind Big Island event begins at noon featuring “moving stages” of bands, floats, clubs, school groups, performance artists and dancers who wind their way down Mamane Street from Honoka‘a High School. Following the parade from 1 to 3 p.m. is a festival celebrating Peace Day in the County Sports Complex with food, vendors, information booths, entertainment and more.

Peace will be presented in every form — from an individual to a broader focus on local and planetary community issues -- as more than 30 different community groups step off down Honokaa’s Mamane Street, including hula halau, Taiko drummers and other talented performers. Last year’s events gave the small community of Honoka‘a a big voice with thousands of people in attendance and news coverage on all the major local television network stations.

“This is by far the largest and most significant Peace Day event in the state and, as far as I know, the only such celebration worldwide,” said event organizer Miles Okumura. “This is a great opportunity for everyone to come out and demonstrate to the world their support of peace, compassion and awareness of universal interdependence.”

The United Nations has been celebrating the International Day of Peace for more than 25 years but the official Hawaii Peace Day was signed into law in 2007. The intent of the Honoka‘a Parade and Festival is to promote and propagate the values of peace, compassion and awareness of universal interdependence.

Hawaii is the only state to have proclaimed a permanent official Peace Day. Proceeds from the Honoka‘a Parade and Festival will go towards community services, including educational programs, charities, environmental activism programs and various peace initiatives. The Parade and Festival for the United Nations International Day of Peace is presented by the Honokaa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple in cooperation with the United Nations and numerous community organizations.

For more information call (808) 640-4602 email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.peacedayparade.org

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