Gorgeous Winning Lei from O‘ahu’s Lei Day Contest 2025

Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino

The vibrant colors. The beautiful flowers. The awe-inspiring artistry. We look forward to this day every year—May Day or Lei Day (as May 1 was coined in the 1920s) is one of our most beloved local traditions. And one of our favorite elements of the statewide celebration is undoubtedly the lei-making contest held by Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation during its annual Lei Day festival at Kapi‘olani Park.

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Each year’s festivities are built around a unique theme. For 2025, the 97^th Lei Day Celebration, the theme was Ho‘okahi ka ‘ilau like ‘ana, which translates to “wield the paddles together.” A theme material, usually a flower or plant, is also chosen. This year’s pick was the indigenous Hibiscus tiliaceus tree, also called hau or sea hibiscus, known for its heart-shaped leaves, yellow-red flowers and fibrous inner bark.

Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino

All lei must be wearable, made with natural plant material and crafted using one or a combination of six Hawaiian methods—haku, hili, humupapa, kui, kīpu‘u or wili. Awards are given in four divisions—lei lanakila mua (beginner), lei pāpale (hat lei), lei po‘omana‘o (lei featuring the theme material) and lei ‘aī‘aī (neck lei), which must meet certain color criteria. And one lei takes home the Mayor’s Grand Prize, which went to Dale Mar T. Acoba for his stunning hypericum and yarrow lei kui (shown first in the above photo gallery), made with flowers strung together through the center or side.

The day after the contest, the lei are taken to The Royal Mausoleum and Kawaiāha‘o Church, where they are placed on the graves and tombs of Hawaiian ali‘i.

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