THE RITZ-CARLTON, KAPALUA ANNOUNCES THE 27TH ANNUAL ‘CELEBRATION OF THE ARTS’ FESTIVAL, TAKING PLACE APRIL 19-20, 2019
Luxury Maui Resort Welcomes All to Experience Authentic Traditions and Activities at Iconic Hawaii Festival
The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua is proud to host the 27th Annual Celebration of the Arts Festival, a beloved cultural event which has taken place on-property every year since the resort’s inception in 1992. On April 19 and 20, 2019, some of Hawaii’s most reputable artisans, educators, cultural practitioners, speakers and entertainers will convene to celebrate the islands’ history and culture with resort guests and locals alike, through traditional ceremonies, music and dance performances, local cuisine, film screenings, hands-on art demonstrations, informative speaker panels, and more. These various immersive activities will center around this year’s theme “E Aloha I Na Mea Kanu…Love all things that are planted” – a poetic verse referring to the growth of crops, life, ancestors, thoughts, deeds and consequences.
Nestled within the Kapalua Resort, one of Hawaii’s largest nature preserves on Maui’s Northwest Shore, The AAA Five-Diamond Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua proudly maintains the Honokahua Preservation Site – a recognized “wahi pana” (sacred site) that lies adjacent to the resort and serves as a destination where Native Hawaiians gather to conduct ceremonial rituals and honor their ancestors. Upon the resort’s opening 27 years ago, The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua brought on the first Cultural Advisor to The Ritz-Carlton brand, Clifford Nae’ole, who co-founded the Celebration of the Arts Festival in an effort to further engage and educate travelers and locals about the resort’s rich Hawaiian roots and historical surroundings.
“We could not be more delighted to celebrate the heart and soul of Hawaiian culture with our local community for the 27th consecutive year,” says Nae’ole. “We are honored to welcome an extraordinary line-up of insightful Hawaiian experts and look forward to creating cherished memories during this profound weekend.”
Throughout the weekend, festival participants will enjoy live demonstrations, hula performances, cultural ceremonies, and an abundance of food and music that reflect the true spirit of aloha embodied by both the resort and islands. Interactive demonstrations by more than 40 artists will include traditional Hawaiian oli (chants), Hawaiian feather art, Ni’ihau shell lei making, Ohe hano iho (Hawaiian nose flute), printmaking, kapa making (Hawaiian bark cloth), primitive fired clay and many more. The “Celebration of Island Tastes,” a feast of island spices and dishes from traditional Hawaiian to contemporary fusions, followed by music and hula dance during “Celebration After-Hours,” will culminate the weekend festivities.
Full details and schedule of events, including daily speaker panels and film screenings, will be announced in the coming months. All events and activities are complimentary for hotel guests, visitors and the local community, with the exception of the ticketed Celebration of Island Tastes. For more information on Celebration of the Arts, please visit www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/kapalua-maui/hotel-overview/aloha-by-nature/celebration-of-the-arts.
