HONOLULU — Presented by the City and County of Honolulu and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the 71st Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific is set for Memorial Day, May 30.

What You Need To Know

  • The 71st Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony on May 30 is an in-person event with a full program beginning at 8:30 a.m.

  • Onsite parking will be extremely limited; additional parking will be available at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School and Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School with courtesy shuttles

  • The public can also park at the Frank Fasi Municipal Building lot and catch the special TheBus route 123 service to the cemetery from the nearby Alapai Transit Center; parking is free, but bus fares apply

A full program to honor all who served in the United States Armed Forces will start at 8:30 a.m. Free and open to the public, the event will feature speeches, a color guard, wreath presentation, firearm salute, aircraft flyover, the playing of taps, and performances by the Royal Hawaiian Band and Sounds of Aloha Chorus.

Local networks such as KITV, KHON and Hawaii News Now will also carry the program live on their respective streaming platforms.

Parking for the event within the cemetery grounds will be extremely limited, but there will be additional public parking available at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School and Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School, according to a city and county news release. Courtesy shuttles will be provided from the schools to Puowaina (Punchbowl). Reserved rides on the Handi-Van and licensed/marked taxi cabs will be allowed to make drop offs within the cemetery.

The public can also park at the Frank Fasi Municipal Building lot and catch the special TheBus route 123 service to the cemetery from the nearby Alapai Transit Center. The first bus departs at 7 a.m. with three trips departing every 20 minutes. The last bus departs at 8 a.m. Return trips to Alapai will start following the ceremony. Although parking is free, bus fares will apply.

For those attending the in-person event, masks are voluntary, though strongly encouraged. Because covered seating is limited and will be offered first to veterans and invited guests, visitors are encouraged to bring sun protection such as hats and umbrellas, as well as water. Extra remaining seats will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Only medically required chairs will be allowed.

Anyone planning to visit the cemetery and pay their respects can avoid the expected traffic congestion by visiting the Saturday or Sunday before Memorial Day or after noon on Monday.

‘Sew a Lei for Memorial Day’

In order to continue the 70-year tradition of adorning each grave with a fresh lei, the City and County of Honolulu invites the public to join opportunities to sew lei, as well as drop off flowers and pre-made lei. If sewing a lei on your own, it should be 20-22 inches untied; please tie before dropping it off.

Lei sewing (flowers and pre-made lei can also be dropped off at these sites):

  • May 26, 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. - Kaneohe Senior Center (adults only)
  • May 27, 9 a.m.-noon - Kailua District Park, Kilauea District Park, Makua Alii Senior Center, Waianae District Park, Waiau District Park and Waipahu District Park
  • May 27, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. - Honolulu Hale and Kapolei Hale

Lei drop-off:

  • May 25 by 1 p.m. - Pahoa High School, Kau-Keaau-Pahoa District Office and Hilo-Waiakea District Office, all on Hawaii Island; Maui residents are also asked to bring lei to sites on May 25
  • May 26 by 9 a.m. - Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School, Kailua Intermediate School, August Ahrens Elementary School, Kainalu Elementary School
  • May 27, 8 a.m.-noon - Frank Fasi Municipal Building
  • May 27, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. - All Honolulu Fire Department fire stations and Federal fire stations (headquarters at 650 Center Dr., Pearl Harbor, Ford Island, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, and Schofield Barracks)
  • May 27, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. - Ala Wai Community Park, Makiki District Park, Waialua District Park
  • May 28, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. - National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl

The Girl Scouts of Hawaii are also helping to sew lei for the Memorial Day Ceremony and are asking for the community's help with donating lei, loose flowers or help with sewing lei, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. May 28 at Windward Mall's Center Court. Requested flower donations include plumeria, bougainvillea, stephanotis or crown flowers. Stalks of hardy tropical flowers such as torch ginger and heliconia will also be accepted (24 inches maximum).

On May 29, the Scouts of Hawaii will place the lei and an American flag on every grave starting at 1 p.m.

Sarah Yamanaka is a digital journalist for Spectrum News Hawaii. Read more of her stories here.