HONOLULU — The Punahou Carnival is returning in 2023 and the public is invited to come, but there won’t be any E.K. Fernandez rides or games. The return of the carnival comes after two years of being limited mostly to students and their families.
This year’s event will be held on Feb. 3 and 4. The theme is “Pun Prix ’23: Pedal to the Metal” and is inspired by the racetrack, according to an email announcement from Punahou School.
Last year, the carnival was a one-day event only open to current Punahou students, faculty, staff and their families. The Variety Show, which is a musical put on by seniors, was viewable online, and the art gallery and auction had online sales. The carnival’s theme was “Back in Time to ‘99.”
The decision to limit last year’s carnival was made in Jan. 2022 after COVID-19 cases began to rise on Oahu due to the omicron variant.
In 2021, as the pandemic was in full swing, the carnival was reimagined as a drive-thru, with Punahou families picking up pre-ordered malasadas, Portuguese bean Soup, mango chutney, lilikoi butter, gyros and other carnival classics on campus. There were also pickup stations for plants, Punahou gear and other online purchases. A drive-up movie was held on Punahou’s Middle Field, where the Variety Show was screened.
For students, there were kiddie games and a Carnival-themed scavenger hunt held during the school day. The cafeteria served carnival-inspired meals.
The theme for 2021 was “A Carnival Out of This World.”
In 2023, the Punahou Carnival will welcome everyone again. While most of the carnival’s staples will be back — the malasadas, the games, jams and jellies, haku lei, the art gallery, the Variety Show and the White Elephant, where used items are sold — rides will be limited to kiddie rides.
“Unfortunately, E.K. Fernandez has advised us that they will not offer Punahou use of their thrill rides or games this year,” Punahou said.
The president of E.K. Fernandez Shows, Scott Fernandez, told Spectrum News in an email that the state's actions during the pandemic, which forced "non-essential" businesses to close, has caused them to have insufficient revenue to pay longtime employees, resulting in layoffs.
"Our capacity to produce the Punahou Carnival at the same size and pace is no longer available. Of course, this is not in our control and, now we can only provide to the School what is within our current capacity," Fernandez said.
"E.K. Fernandez Shows has survived for 120 years in the State of Hawaii, including WW l, the 1918 pandemic, 'the most deadly pandemic in modern times,' WWll 'the deadliest war of all wars' and at no time during those catastrophic events had we ever been prevented from opening to the public. Only in the year starting in 2020," Fernandez said. "In fact, every other state in our nation opened long before the State of Hawaii. Therefore, the damage to so many businesses and traditional events lays at the feet of Hawaii's Government."
The E.K. Fernandez rides are still part of other events, such as the 50th State Fair, which returned this summer after closing for two years due to the pandemic.
According to the Punahou website, the Punahou Carnival has been a traditional event on campus that dates back to 1932, when students hosted the Oahuan Campus Carnival to fundraise for the yearbook. Their efforts garnered $240 for the Oahuan. Today, the Punahou Carnival is a community event that’s spearheaded by the junior class along with hundreds of volunteers made up of students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni. The annual event helps the class learn leadership skills and bond while also raising funds for the school’s financial aid program.
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The original story was updated to include comment from E.K. Fernandez Shows. (Sept. 23, 2022)