Hawaii Memorial Day Activities

Are you visiting Hawaii during the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend? Hawaii has a very unique and important place in US military history and is an amazing place to observe Memorial Day.

USS Missouri Battleship at Pearl Harbor

Below is a list of the many things to see while observing Memorial Day in Hawaii:
Pearl Harbor Tour
Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial offer an amazing historical experience of both US and World History. Pearl Harbor is a naval base famously attacked by the Japanese navy on December 7, 1941. This became known as a “Date which will live in infamy” when US President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the nation with news of the attacks. The attack sank 4 US Naval battleships, most notably the USS Arizona, which is where the Pearl Harbor memorial now resides.

Pearl Harbor Visitors Center and Memorial

To best see all the sights at Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial, and to ensure you will have tickets, you can take a guided tour with Discover Hawaii Tours.

Visit the USS Missouri
The USS Missouri, also known as the ‘Mighty Mo’, is a U.S. Navy battleship, and was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of Missouri. The USS Missouri was the last battleship built by the United States, and was the site of the surrender of the Empire of Japan which ended World War II. The USS Missouri is full of US military history and can be combined with our Pearl Harbor Tour.

USS Missouri Battleship

Pacific Aviation Museum
The Pacific Aniation Museum, which is also located in our Pearl Harbor Tour, is an airplane hangar full of airplanes used to attack and defend Pearl Harbor.

National Memorial Cemetary at Punchbowl
Visiting the National Memorial Cemetery at Punchbowl is another great way to remember Memorial Day while in Hawaii. Inside the Punchbowl cemetary there is a memorial for those who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

On Memorial Day over 50,000 fresh flower lei are put on the graves of veterans, if you would like to donate a lei you can do so by contacting the City and County of Honolulu Parks and Recreation Department at 808-768-3002.

From the Punchbowl Cemetary you will also have a spectacular view of Honolulu down below. On Memorial Day, at 8:30 a.m. you can witness the 60th annual Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony.

Memorial at Punchbowl National Cemetary

Also, you can take one of our Hawaii Tours that visits the National Memorial Cemetary at Punchbowl.

Lantern Floating Ceremony at Ala Moana Beach Park
During this ceremony 1,000 candle-lit lanterns are floated out to sea. This ceremony is done to remember those who gave their lives in conflict and allows for reflection on the memories of loved ones and dedicates prayers for a peaceful and harmonious future.

This event will be held Monday, May 25, 2009 at 6.30 p.m. on Magic Island at Ala Moana Beach Park, for more information please visit the Lantern Floating Hawaii website http://www.lanternfloatinghawaii.com/index.html

If you have any further questions about observing Memorial Day in Hawaii please feel free to contact us:

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