The Honolulu Festival event area at the Hawaii Convention Center quickly turned into the Friendship Gala party area after the ending of the first day of the 15th Annual Honolulu Festival. Talk about a quick turn around. The first day ended at 5:00 p.m. and the gala area was ready by 6:30 p.m.! It is customary to have the Friendship Gala each year on the evening of the first day of the Honolulu Festival. The attendees are participating performers and their families, local supporters, foundation sponsors and visitors. Top local restaurants set up booths and create their wonderful cuisine for everyone to dine on. Performers entertain the crowd. It's a time to party and make friends!
And each year the enthusiasm of the crowd and the excitement of the performances are difficult to put into words, you really have to be there.
Guests lined up in front of the entrance before 7:00 p.m. And when the doors opened, the entire crowd of 1,300 guests flowed into the banquet area. Many guests representing the sponsor organizations and media attended this year.
The restaurant booths encircled the stage and seating area. There were twelve popular restaurants this year including Alan Wong's, Roy's, Nobu Waikiki, 3660 on the Rise, Chef Mavro, finest of celebrity chefs in Hawaii. Each booth created an appetizer, main dish or dessert. And many used only the freshest ingredients home grown in Hawaii. Hawaiian seafood such as ahi (tuna), mahimahi, Big Island's abalone and kampachi (yellowtail) were used in their dishes. Big Island's Hamakua mushrooms, Maui onions and Kula strawberries were also tasty. The flavors of all the dishes using local ingredients made the guests smile. Simply delicious!
The official program began at 8:00 p.m. The 2009 Best Contribution Awards were given to performance groups on center stage. The crowds cheered when Suga-Ren, the group from Kochi Prefecture, came up to receive their Best Contribution Award for participating in all fifteen Honolulu Festivals.
Now it was time for the performances of the evening. The first group to perform was Sonoda Gakuen High School from Hyogo Prefecture, considered the most energetic group of this year's Festival. The girls not only used the entire stage but the area in front of it as well. Their performance stirred up excitement throughout the entire gala area. The performances that followed were Suga-Ren, a favorite of many, and Manoa DNA, representing Hawaii. The young students of Ibaraki City Dance Drill Team World Wings, Montessori de Cagayan and Sonoda Gakuen High School got up on stage as Manoa DNA got the crowd to sing along. It was fun to watch the students dance around and around the band. The student group representing the Philippines, Montessori de Cagayan, performed next. Such a variety of performances!
And the last performance was by Tonosama Ren of Tokushima Prefecture, repeating last year. Awa Odori has become the universal dance at the Honolulu Festival. The guests joined the Tonosama Ren dancers on stage and throughout the gala floors. What a sight! Truly ethnic harmony at its best.
Ruth's Chris Steak House's juicy tenderloin steak dish.
Members of the Luna Party from Kanagawa Prefecture's Hiratsuka Tanabata Matsuri dressed in their colorful costumes.
The powerful group Saitama Ryujin Matsuri Kai was very noticeable. They were enjoying the Gala and were all smiles.
The Sonoda Gakuen High School girls brought energy and excitement to Hawaii. Their colorful costumes brightened the stage once again.
The audience cheered and clapped for each performance. They were all having a great time.
The young dancers of Montessori de Cagayan from the Philippines. Such amazing dance movements and expressions left the adults speechless.
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The Honolulu Festival event area at the Hawaii Convention Center quickly turned into the Friendship Gala party area after the ending of the first day of the 15th Annual Honolulu Festival. Talk about a quick turn around. The first day ended at 5:00 p.m. and the gala area was ready by 6:30 p.m.! It is customary to have the Friendship Gala each year on the evening of the first day of the Honolulu Festival. The attendees are participating performers and their families, local supporters, foundation sponsors and visitors. Top local restaurants set up booths and create their wonderful cuisine for everyone to dine on. Performers entertain the crowd. It's a time to party and make friends! 
