On Saturday, March 7th, my family attended the 2nd Annual Ko Olina Children’s Film & Music Festival. The festival is held during the early year at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa and Ihilani Resort & Spa at Ko Olina. This festival is a benefit for Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women and Children here on Oahu.
Ko Olina Children’s Film & Music Festival
For those who may be visiting the island when the festival takes place, it is a great way to spend the day in Ko Olina. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the festival for $25 for adults and $10 for children. All proceeds go to Kapi’olani Medical Center.
Lining up for tattoos, face painting, and balloon animals.
We checked in at 1pm to get our wristbands for the day. At check-in, we received a canvas bag to carry any goodies we picked up as well as a festival map. Activities were available on the Kohola Lagoon Beach Walkway (between Aulani and Ihilani) and at various ballrooms and locations within both resorts.
We began on the beach walkway. We went to the First Hawaiian Bank Activity Tent for temporary tattoos, face painting, and balloon animals. We also tried golf with the Ko Olina Golf Kids Club and practiced sun safety at the Kapi’olani Medical Center’s Sun and Safety Tent where the girls received a light-up magical wand as a reward for completing all the activities.
Isabella learning some putting skills.
Throughout the day, Aulani had their ballrooms open for movie viewing. Some of the Disney movies that were shown were Monsters, Inc, Peter Pan, Tangled, and Enchanted while other ballrooms were playing movies from the Hawaii International Film Festival.
Digging in the sand with a shovel, not hands, to be safe
Back on the beach walkway, there were musical performances by the Hawaii School of Music and the Performing Arts Center of Kapolei Kids. We took ukulele lessons and danced a hula with Minnie Mouse and Stitch. There were so many activities going on that we didn’t get to hit them all, but we sure did try.
Minnie Mouse teaching the hula to the audience.
The day ended with a performance by Streetlight Cadence, a group made up of former street performers and was an absolute treat. As the sun went down, Disney’s Frozen played on a screen set up IN the lagoon. By the very end of the movie, we were all very tired, but what a great day! And to top it off, the festival raised $50,000 for the Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women and Children.
Check Presentation
Streetlight Cadence
Getting ready for Frozen on the beach at Aulani
If you happen to be planning a trip to Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa between January and March, keep an eye on www.koolinachildrensfestival.com for information on next year’s festival in the upcoming months. It is well worth the time! We had a blast!
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