Faith Kalamau will ride as this year's pa'u queen in the Aloha Festivals Floral Parade, a feel-good milestone for Hawaiian cultural tradition and the volunteers who keep it alive.

• Kalamau earned the crown after a decade of riding, starting as the Ni'ihau princess in 2016 and representing all eight major islands since.
• The pa'u riding tradition comes from ali'i women dressing up for equestrian events, nearly died out after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, and was revived by organized riding groups.
• Riders are judged on posture, smiling, graceful hand gestures, and acknowledging the crowd on both sides, all while riding in full pa'u, lei, and adornments.
• A week of work goes into gathering flowers and making horse, neck, and hat leis, done by a volunteer group from Papakolea that has helped since 2019.
• This year's ride honors Queen Lili'uokalani.

Outlook: The 78th Floral Parade runs this Saturday morning from Ala Moana Park through Waikiki to Kapiolani Park.