Top 10 things to do on Big Island for June 27-July 3: Bonsai, Pride, 64th annual Cultural Festival, Dirty Cello and more

Diversity and culture are on display in this week’s top 10 things to do on the Big Island, from the types of events and activities happening to the people and places they represent.

Wailoa Center in Hilo is hosting a Bonsai Show this weekend presented by Hilo Bonsai Kyoshitsu and Mokuhonua Bonsai Kai clubs that put the pieces of nature and living works of art — uncomparable to any other artform — from members on display for everyone to enjoy.

Downtown Hilo will be flooded in color Saturday during the annual Hawai‘i Island LGBTQ+ Pride Parade and Festival — a true show of the diversity, equality and inclusion — as the community is invited to come out and tell the world with love and pride “We Will Not Be Moved.”

The festival includes live performances by queer artists, live music, Pride merchandise, food vendors and more.

Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park in Hōnaunau is celebrating its 64th year as a unit of the National Park Service and the Hawaiian culture during its annual Cultural Festival on Saturday.

Presentations, cultural practitioners from Hawaiʻi Island sharing crafts, hula performances, displays and information tables will all focus on this year’s theme of “E mau ana ka moʻolelo, let the stories be perpetuated,” which dives intothe importance of perpetuating the stories of kūpuna passed down through the generations.

Saturday night in Waimea offers a genre-bending one-of-a-kind experience featuring high-energy blues, rock and Americana live on stage with cellist Rebecca Roudman leading Dirty Cello live at Kahilu Theatre, wowing audiences with a sound that is funky, electric and firecely rhythmic.

It’s an experience you don’t want to miss.

That’s not all, either.

June/July Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park artists-in-residence and award-winning Hollywood duo Tijuana Ricks and Anthony Pirro are having an event Saturday. Aloha ʻĪlio Rescue invites the community to an adoption and fundraiser event in Kailua-Kona this weekeend.

And you can even learn about kīpaepae, the formal Hawaiian ceremony of welcome that introduces and integrates individuals into a new environment such as a new job, school or community.

All that and more is happening just within the next week.

Here is our top 10 things to do on the Big Island for June 27-July 3.

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No. 1 — Bonsai Show (Hilo, June 27-28)

When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Location: Wailoa Center, 200 Piʻopiʻo St.

Presented by Hilo Bonsai Kyoshitsu and Mokuhonua Bonsai Kai clubs. Enjoy the variety and beauty of bonsai at its best from members of both clubs and talk story, too. Bonsai is a living work of art that cannot be compared with any other artform. A bonsai can never be a finished work of art in this sense because it will always be a living piece of nature, continuing to live and grow. Demonstrations also will be conducted at 1 p.m. both days. Free of charge. All are welcome.

More info: Contact Melvin Honda at 808-938-6638 for any questions about the exhibit.

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No. 2 — 64th annual Cultural Festival and Fee Free Day (Hōnaunau, June 28)

When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Location: Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park (travel Highway 11 to mile marker 104, turn onto Highway 160 for 3 miles, turn left on Ke Ala o Keawe Road, proceed to park entrance)

Come help the park celebrate its 64th anniversary as a unit of the National Park Service. This year’s theme is “E mau ana ka moʻolelo, let the stories be perpetuated,” focusing on the importance of perpetuating the stories of kūpuna passed down through the generations. Embedded within those stories is history, an ancestral worldview and lifestyle and cultrual practices of those who came before, continuing to connect people to the environment and one another. There will be theme-related presentations, cultural practitioners from Hawaiʻi Island sharing crafts, hula performances, displays and information tables.

More info: Call 808-345-0434 or email to paul_scolari@nps.gov.

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No. 3 — Artists-in-Residence: Hollywood Duo Tijuana Ricks and Anthony Pirro (Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, June 28)

When: 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Location: Kahuku Visitor Contact Station (turn into Kahuku near the 70.5-mile marker on Highway 11 in Kaʻū, about an hour from the park’s main entrance)

With support from the National Parks Arts Foundation and Friends of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, June/July artists in residence, award-winning Tijuana Ricks and Anthony Pirro will discuss classical story-telling techniques and how they apply them to their screenwriting. Tijuana Ricks is an actress, writer and director whose screen credits include Showtime’s “Billions” and Netflix’s Marvel series “Luke Cage” and “Iron Fist.” Anthony Pirro’s background as a marine biologist, genomics researcher and educational leader rounds out the talented couple. He has developed more than 40 creative projects, including the animated feature “Pigeons in Paradise.” The pair’s residency provides an opportunity for the public to engage with professional film artists as they explore their creative work in the park.

More info: Check the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park calendar.

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No. 4 — Splish, Splash and Find Your Match! (Kailua-Kona, June 28)

When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Location: Lower Field, Paws University, 73-4259 Hawaiʻi Belt Road

Join Aloha ʻĪlio Rescue for a summer adoption and fundraiser event that is sure to be a howling good time and a chance to meet your next furry forever friend. There will be live music, a photobooth to capture all the fun on film, local vendors to peruse, a microchip and vaccine clinic, dog-friendly yoga and the Kohola Coffee truck will be available to kickstart your day. Well-behaved, vaccinated dogs are also invited to join the fun as long as they remain on a 6-foot leash.

More info: Call Aloha ʻĪlio Rescue at 808-960-1704.

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No. 5 — Hawai‘i Island LGBTQ+ Pride Parade and Festival 2025 (Hilo, June 28)

When: 11 a.m. to noon parade; noon to 4 p.m. festival

Location: Parade throughout downtown Hilo; festival at Mo‘oheau Park, 369 Kamehameha Ave.

Come out this weekend and flood the streets of Hilo with color, love and pride. Don your rainbow best, put on your face and slip into your finest drag or just fiercely be yourself and show the world that DEI isn’t just something that can be erased; instead, diversity, equity and inclusion are a way of life — and “We Will Not Be Moved.” The festival includes live performances by queer artists; live music by The Screaming Geckos, Always Free, Playing in Traffik, The Tree Within and Chimera; Pride merchandise; food vendors; ally and family-friendly zones; and more.

More info: Visit the Hilo Pride! website.

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No. 6 — Dirty Cello (Waimea, June 28)

When: 7 p.m.

Location: Kahilu Theatre, 67-1186 Lindsey Road

Get ready for high-energy blues, rock and Americana live on stage as virtuosic cellist Rebecca Roudman leads this dynamic band that redefines the possibilities of the cello into a one-of-a-kind musical experience. The genre-bending sound is funky, electric and fiercely rhythmic. This event is more than a concert — it’s an experience, and one you don’t want to miss. Tickets start at $25.

More info/tickets: Visit the Kahilu Theatre website (https://kahilu.org/events/dirty-cello/).

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No. 7 — Build Your Own Computer (Waikōloa, June 30-July 3)

When: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day

Location: Hawai‘i Keiki Museum, K104, 69-250 Waikōloa Beach Drive

Unlock the world of do-it-yourself computing during this hands-on workshop for keiki ages 10 to 18 years old. Learn the essential skills needed to assemble a computer from scratch, from selecting the right components, putting them into a system to the first boot up. Once built, students will work on some coding exercises and more. Cost is $500 per child, which includes the new computer, monitor, keyboard and mouse.

More info/register: Visit the Hawaiʻi Keiki Museum website.

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No. 8 — Casual Play Chess (Hilo, June 30)

When: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Location: Gam3Escape, 57 Shipman St.

Gam3Escape, in conjunction with Hawai‘i Island Chess Association, is excited to host this event every Monday. Some chess boards provided, but feel free to bring your own. Come learn to play; fun for all ages. Youth younger than 13 years old must be accompanied by an adult. Cost is $5.

More info: Call Gam3Escape at 808-498-4095 or email to g3ecustomerservice@gmail.com.

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No. 9 — Classical Guitarist William Jenks in Concert (Hilo, July 1)

When: 7 p.m.

Location: Church of the Holy Cross, 440 W. Lanikāula St.

This special concert showcases the skill and talent of a musician with a 25-year career as a performing and recording artist who is also founder and president of one of the leading classical guitar organizations in the United States. Jenks shares his time between the West Coast and Hawai‘i Island, where he has a number of students eager to hear him perform. Local musician J.P. Thoma on the flute will join Jenks during the program. All are welcome A free-will offering wil be taken.

More info: Email to doug_albe@charter.net.

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No. 10 — Kīpaepae no Waiakahiʻula 2025 (Hawaiian Beaches, July 2)

When: 10 a.m. to noon

Location: Waiakahiʻula Beach Park, 462 Kahakai Boulevard

Are you interested in learning about kīpaepae? Join Kawaiʻula and friends as they train the Waiakahiʻula and larger Puna community in kīpaepae protocol and ceremony during this free community building event. The formal Hawaiian ceremony of welcome introduces and integrates individuals into a new environment such as a new job, school or community.

More info/register: Click here.

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Check for yourself to see what’s happening around the Big Island

We admit. We can’t fit everything going on each week in our top 10. So here are websites for some popular Big Island venues that you can peruse to discover other events, activities, shows, festivals or workshops that pique your interest.

• Aloha Theatre, Kealakekua: https://apachawaii.org/
• Blue Dragon Tavern, Kawaihae: https://www.bluedragontavern.com/
• Donkey Mill Art Center, Hōlualoa: https://donkeymillartcenter.org/
• East Hawai‘i Cultural Center, Hilo: https://ehcc.org/
• Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park: https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm
• Hilo Town Market, Hilo: https://hilotownmarket.co/events
• Hilo Town Tavern, Hilo (on Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100041333509786
• Honoka‘a People’s Theatre, Honoka‘a: https://www.honokaapeople.com/
• Kahilu Theatre, Waimea: https://kahilu.org/
• Keauhou Shopping Center, Kailua-Kona: https://keauhoushoppingcenter.com/experience/
• Kona Commons, Kailua-Kona: https://www.konacommons.com/events
• Lava Shack, Pāhoa (on Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/lavashackpahoa/?hl=en
• Lyman Museum, Hilo: https://lymanmuseum.org/
• MyBar Kona, Kailua-Kona: https://www.mybarkona.com/
• Palace Theater, Hilo: https://hilopalace.com/
• University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Performing Arts Center, Hilo: https://artscenter.uhh.hawaii.edu/
• Volcano Art Center, Volcano: https://volcanoartcenter.org/
• Wailoa Center, Hilo: https://www.wailoacenter.com/
• Willy’s Hot Chicken, Kailua-Kona: https://willieshotchicken.com/