Despite the announcement that the 28th KWXX Ho‘olaule‘a is cancelled, county officials and event organizers remain confident the festival can still be held sometime in 2024.
On Wednesday, Chris Leonard — president of New West Broadcasting Corp., which has held the Ho‘olaule‘a since 1993 — announced on Facebook that the music festival, scheduled for Jan. 20, would be canceled after the Hawaii County Police Department denied KWXX a permit to close roads in downtown Hilo, where the event is held.
“Ultimately, the permits were denied, so we’re not able to build our stages,” Leonard said Friday, adding that this was the first time HPD has rejected his permit request. “We weren’t expecting this — we have specs and plans for this specific site.”
Leonard said the HPD cited personnel shortages that would make enforcing security at such a large event difficult. The last Ho‘olaule‘a, held in January of this year, had about 20,000 attendees, he said.
Although Leonard suggested increasing the amount of private security at the event to bolster the police shortfall, police officials rejected his pitch.
The police department recommended other potential venues for the event that could be more easily managed, including the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium and the Hilo Dragstrip. But Leonard said those venues aren’t large enough to hold an event of the Ho‘olaule‘a’s magnitude.
Leonard emphasized that he shares the police department’s concerns about attendee safety, but added he believes the security challenges are not insurmountable. He said he is working with county officials and stakeholders to find a path forward to bring the event back next year, although it will miss the Jan. 20 date.
Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce Executive Officer Miles Yoshioka said news of the cancellation likely will disappoint area businesses that typically can expect a swell of festival-driven customers during the Ho‘olaule‘a. He added that he wasn’t aware of significant security complaints from downtown businesses during prior events.
However, Yoshioka also commiserated with the police department: “The employee shortage is affecting every industry,” he observed.
Leonard said the festival has become a signature event for downtown Hilo, and its absence would be a huge blow for the area.
“There’s nothing else like it on the island, where people can go and see all this live music, for free,” Leonard said.
But Leonard remained hopeful, saying he is negotiating with county stakeholders and the police to determine how best to move forward with the event.
“The county is still committed to making it happen in 2024,” Cyrus Johnasen, spokesman for Mayor Mitch Roth, said Friday.
Johnasen said there was not any particular incident at prior Ho‘olaule‘a festivals that caused the police to deny the permits, but reiterated that the department simply “felt understaffed.”
If and when the festival is revived, Johnasen said it likely will still be held in downtown Hilo.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.