Opening reception of Honolulu Festival canceled; other events still on

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Fears over coronavirus have led to the cancellation of a kickoff reception for a major event happening in Honolulu. But in the bigger picture, events for the Honolulu Festival are still on.

Japan’s prime minister announced plans to cancel, postpone or scale back large cultural or sporting events for the next 2 weeks.

Out of respect for that decision, organizers of the Honolulu Festival canceled their opening reception which was supposed to take place Wednesday in Waikiki.

It is not however going to impact the festival overall. Public events are set to start next week.

Hiroyuki “Keith” Kitagawa, president of the Honolulu Festival Foundation, said in a statement:

"We are going forward as planned with the 26th annual Honolulu Festival from March 6-8 and have an exciting schedule of cultural performances and special events planned, including the new Sake & Food Fest, the Waikiki Grand Parade and the spectacular Nagaoka Fireworks Show over Waikiki Beach. This year’s festival theme is ‘Making the World a Better Place for Our Future, from the Pacific to the World.’ The Honolulu Festival is a beloved annual tradition for thousands of residents and visitors for how it celebrates culture and promotes greater harmony and goodwill among all people.”

For more information of the list of events, click here.