Obon festivals can be found throughout Hawaii communities every year from June to October. They are Japanese cultural events held to remember local history, family, and community.
They're held on school grounds, recreation fields, parks, beaches, and similar facilities. They include traditonal dances, arts, and culture, as well as lots and lots of food, entertainment, fireworks, activities, and floating lanterns.
Obon festivals came to Hawaii with the Japanese immigrants in the era of Hawaii's large plantations and are a focal point of local Japanese communities throughout Hawaii that are enjoyed by everyone. Old Hawaii's plantation culture is often highlighted at a Bon festival, but officially, this is "The Festival of Souls," or "The Feast of the Dead."
Schedules vary from year to year, but from June through the end of August you can expect three festivals on Big Island and Oahu every weekend with fewer on the rest of the neighbor islands. Some are events of major importance and some really just local families enjoying themselves. Last year thousands watched as the lanterns floated down Ala Moana Park in Waikiki.
Check the papers.