Polynesian Voyaging Society prepares to celebrate 50th anniversary of Hōkūleʻa

The Polynesian Voyaging Society is preparing to celebrate the 50th birthday of Hōkūleʻa, Hawaiʻi’s legendary voyaging canoe, first launched on March 8, 1975.

The society said the milestone marks a half-century of cultural revival, environmental advocacy and a renewed connection to the earth and ocean.

“Hōkūleʻa is more than a canoe,” said Society Chief Executive Officer and Navigator Nainoa Thompson. “She represents a dream to revive one of humanity’s greatest achievements — the wayfinding and exploration that united the Pacific peoples. As we celebrate 50 years of Hōkūleʻa, we thank those who cared for her, honor the leadership that has guided us, and invite Hawaiʻi and the world to look forward to the next 50 years of voyaging for a better future.”

The society will highlight Hōkūleʻa’s significant impact over the last 50 years through storytelling and events. The centerpiece of the celebration will be Hōkūleʻa’s 50th Birthday Commemoration at the 16th Annual Kualoa/Hakipuʻu Canoe Festival at Kualoa Regional Park planned in partnership with City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation on March 8, 2025.

Kualoa is where Hōkūleʻa was assembled, blessed and first entered the ocean. Additional festivities, designed to honor the past, reflect on the present, and launch a vision for the future, will be announced in the coming months.  

“Now we are 50 years down the road and we turn our eyes to the next 50 years,” Thompson said.  “We should just keep launching canoes. And they may not be voyaging canoes. It may be the ideals, the beliefs, the values of a single individual that wants to make a better world.”

“If you could launch something, even if it’s a dream, it’s worth it. Even if it’s an idea, it’s worth it. And the birthday is such an important moment for us to dream again and believe again and have courage to let go of the lines,” Thompson added.

For nearly five decades, Hōkūleʻa has served as a symbol of resilience, revival, cultural pride, environmental stewardship, peace and hope. What began as the vision of Herb Kawainui Kane, Ben Finney and Tommy Holmes when they formed the nonprofit Polynesian Voyaging Society in 1973 as an effort to replicate a traditional voyaging canoe, Hawaiʻi’s first in 600 years. The effort has grown into a worldwide movement.

From her launch in 1975 to the groundbreaking Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage of 2014-2017, Hōkūleʻa has sailed nearly 300,000 miles and completed 15 deep-sea voyages, bridging generations and communities through shared values of Mālama Honua (care for the Earth).

The 50th birthday celebration will honor the legacy of Hōkūleʻa by:

• Thanking the canoe and her caretakers: Recognizing the individuals and communities who have supported Hōkūleʻa’s journey over the past five decades.
• Celebrating leadership: Honoring the visionaries and navigators who steered Hōkūleʻa and the Polynesian Voyaging Society toward a brighter future.
• Reflecting on progress: Acknowledging how far Hawaiʻi and the global community have come in cultural revival and environmental stewardship.
• Launching a vision: Turning toward the next 50 years, with a renewed focus on protecting the earth’s oceans, fostering indigenous knowledge, and inspiring the next generation to embrace the values of Mālama Honua.

The society said: “This celebration is more than a birthday — it is a call to action. Over the past 50 years, Hōkūleʻa has inspired the world to reconnect with nature and embrace the responsibility to protect the earth. As humanity faces the 21st century’s environmental challenges, particularly the health of our oceans, the lessons of Hōkūleʻa are more urgent than ever.”

The society aims to engage young people, ensuring that they understand Hōkūleʻa’s role in cultural revival and ocean conservation. Through partnerships with educators, scientists, and indigenous communities, the society will continue to highlight the interconnectedness of people, the ocean and the Earth.

“Our island is not just Hawaiʻi; it’s the planet,” Thompson said. “Science has shown us that the health of our communities depends on the health of our oceans. This celebration is not only for Hōkūleʻa but for the Earth — a reminder of our shared responsibility to protect the only home we have.”

For updates on events and ways to participate in this historic celebration, visit www.hokulea.com.

The society worked with two Native Hawaiian artists, Nicole Makaahinaalohilohi Jack and Sara Saffrey, to create a special Hōkūleʻa 50th Birthday logo. Jack contributed the original design while Saffrey expanded upon it to its final iterations.

According to the artists, the design elements incorporate several voyaging mainstays: waves, currents, winds, stars and birds. The star functions as a “guiding star.” The ʻiwa bird is a guiding symbol, as well as a connection to sister canoe Hikianalia (who has the same manu pattern painted by Jack on her stern).

The movement and flow of the logo were intended to mirror the movement and dynamic progress of the voyaging society itself.  The logo also embodies one of the core beliefs of the society that the ocean does not separate us; it unites us.