With Memorial Day less than a week away, Honolulu is in full sprint to collect and sew enough fresh lei to honor roughly 38,000 graves at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Pūowaina. The longtime tradition calls for a lei on every veteran’s grave during the Mayor’s Memorial Day ceremony, and organizers say thousands of finished lei are still missing from the count. Community groups, scouts and city staff are gearing up to lay lei and flags across the crater next weekend.
The Honolulu Star‑Advertiser reports that the Department of Parks and Recreation will accept finished lei at Punchbowl on Saturday, May 23, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday, May 24, from 8 a.m. to noon. The column lists sewing events at sites including Ala Puʻumalu Community Park, Booth District Park, Hoʻomaluhia Botanical Garden, Honolulu Hale and Kailua District Park, and reminds donors to stick to fresh‑flower or ti‑leaf lei while skipping artificial ribbon.
According to the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, the 75th Mayor’s Memorial Day Ceremony is set for 8:30 a.m. on Monday, May 25, 2026. DPR says it is coordinating a statewide “Sew a Lei” initiative to gather roughly 38,000 lei for the cemetery, and lists parks staff contact information as [email protected] and (808) 768-3003 for anyone with questions.
Scouts of Hawaiʻi are expected to help place a lei and an American flag on every service member’s grave during a Memorial Day “Good Turn” on Sunday, May 24, according to the Aloha Council event page. Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi are also running lei‑draping and lei‑making activities across the island in the days leading up to the ceremony, underscoring how wide the volunteer net is this year.
How to help
The city is asking that finished lei be dropped off at Honolulu Fire Department stations on Friday, May 22, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Any remaining lei can be brought directly to Punchbowl on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. or Sunday from 8 a.m. to noon. Maps, site lists and updates are available via the Mayor’s Memorial Day information on the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation website. DPR says it prefers fresh plumeria, crown flower or ti leaves, and asks that completed lei measure about 10 to 11 inches when tied.
Organizers say more hands are still needed to reach the one‑lei‑per‑grave goal, and Hawaii News Now reports that volunteers and groups continue to sign up across Oʻahu. Anyone able to sew, donate or drop off lei is encouraged to check the city’s event details on the Department of Parks and Recreation site and to follow each location’s instructions so flowers arrive fresh and respectful.
