Welcome to Seattle Center
SEATTLE, WA— Celebrate Native Hawaiian culture and community at Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival, taking place from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 13 as part of Seattle Center Festál in the Seattle Center Armory Food & Event Hall, Mural Amphitheatre, and Fisher Pavilion Rooftop.
This year's theme, Mālama i ka ʻike o nā kūpuna, "If we do not remember our ancestors we will become lost people," celebrates the wisdom of Hawaiian elders through music, dance, and food. The single-day festival is presented by Seattle Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival.
At Seattle Center, the cultural heart of the city, two stages of live Hawaiian music and hula will run all day, headlined by Ho‘okena with special guests Ocean Kaowili, a multi-talented musician, singer, and actor, and kumu hula Nani Dudoit. Following an opening land acknowledgment, the Kanileʻa Armory Stage features Ivan & Kawika, Hālau Hula O Napualani, Kue, Aldrine Guerrero, Kealaokala Sadang, and Leo Aloha. The Alaska-Hawaiian Mural stage features performances including Kalei & Friends, Hālau Hula Pūlamahiaikalikolehua, Northwest Blend, Hālau Hula Ka Lei Mokihana I Ka Ua Noe, the Hawaiian Airlines Serenaders, and a Spam Musubi Contest and raffle at the end of the day.
Guests can enjoy free lei-making with fresh flowers on the Armory Balcony, and Keiki Korner — a dedicated kids' activity area with a mini stage — in the Armory Lofts, offering hands-on, family-friendly activities centered on Native Hawaiian culture. Guests can browse the outdoor Makeke marketplace and Armory vendor hall, featuring more than 60 vendors offering authentic Hawaiian food, arts and crafts, artisan gifts, and island-inspired goods from local businesses and community organizations, including Big Island Poke, Kama'aina Grill, 808 Clothing, Aloha Vibes Only!, and more.
“The ʻike of our kūpuna are life-sustaining treasures, as vitally important to us as food or water,” said Cyndi Aiona Kahaialiʻi, Executive Producer. “By choosing to show up and celebrate who we are, even in diaspora, every person here is contributing to carrying that knowledge forward."
Seattle Center Festál promotes cultural awareness by welcoming the broader public to engage, learn, and celebrate alongside each community, fostering greater understanding and respect. Over the decades, Festál has grown into a cornerstone of Seattle Center’s cultural programming, creating space for communities to share their histories, traditions, and contemporary expressions on their own terms.
About Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival
The Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival celebrates and perpetuates Hawaiian culture throughout the Pacific Northwest. Produced by Seattle Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the festival strengthens the Hawaiian community and engages broader audiences through language, music, dance, history, and cultural education, creating meaningful opportunities for cultural exchange and learning that honor Hawai‘i and the Native Hawaiian people. Learn more at seattlelivealohafestival.com.
Information on the festival is available at SeattleCenter.com and seattlelivealohafestival.com.
About Seattle Center Festál
Seattle Center Festál is a unique public program series of 25 free cultural festivals, each offering its own celebration of heritage and identity.
These community-produced events provide a range of engaging programs and activities to cultivate a deeper understanding of our region’s diversity through immersive performances, food, arts, and educational programming. Collectively, the festivals welcome approximately 400,000 visits annually, generate an estimated $30 million in economic activity, support more than 250 jobs, and engage thousands of volunteers, artists, and small business vendors.
Seattle Center Festál is presented in partnership between Seattle Center and 25 community-based organizations, with support from the City of Seattle, Seattle Center Foundation, and 4Culture's Sustained Support and Free/Reduced Access programs. Additional support for Festál 2026 is provided by 2025 charitable donations from the Snoqualmie Tribe, and ArtsFund's Community Accelerator Grant funded by Allen Family Philanthropies.
About Seattle Center — The Cultural Heart of the Pacific Northwest
Seattle Center is a 74-acre civic, arts, and cultural gathering place in the heart of Seattle and is home to more than 30 partner organizations, including Climate Pledge Arena, KEXP, Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP), Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Opera, Pacific Science Center, SIFF, and many others.
Anchored by world-class attractions, historic venues, public art, and a dynamic calendar of free and affordable events centered around the iconic International Fountain, Seattle Center brings together arts, culture, sports, and community year-round.
As a department of the City of Seattle and anchor of the Uptown Arts and Cultural District, Seattle Center serves residents from across the Puget Sound region alongside visitors from around the world.
In partnership with Friends of Waterfront Park, Seattle Center provides operations, maintenance, and public safety services for Waterfront Park, while Friends leads park experience, programming, and stewardship along Seattle’s downtown waterfront.
Seattle Center welcomes nearly 12 million visits annually, generating nearly $3.3 billion in total economic activity, supporting 19,400 jobs, and producing more than $37 million in local tax revenue for the City of Seattle.
With the support of its official partners—Alaska Airlines, The Climate Pledge, Pepsi, Symetra, T-Mobile, and WaFd Bank—Seattle Center is the most-visited arts and cultural destination in the Pacific Northwest.
CONTACT
Jordan Van Beek | jordan@whyforgood.com | 425.638.2293
