Lillian Hamasaki of 'Aiea marches down Kalakaua Avenue with the Hawaii United Okinawa Association.

Six-year-old Noa Kerr of Kaimuki, and 8-year-old Asami Alle of Waikiki feed money to the lion from the Lung Kong Physical Culture Club Photos by Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

The Lalone and Wiggins families love a parade.

"This is the second one we've been to this weekend," Wiggins said.

She, Lalone and the children attended the King Kamehameha parade Saturday, then, after Lalone read about the Pan-Pacific yesterday morning, decided to make a weekend of it.

"I said: Ooh, another parade," Lalone said. The two Schofield women loaded the kids up and joined thousands lining the streets of Waikiki.

"I like the samurai best," said 10-year-old Richard Lalone. "I know because we saw them yesterday."

Down the block, the Kawa-goshi-Han Teppotai, a group of about a dozen samurai warriors from Japan, waited for their turn to begin the route.

Aisha Wiggins, 10, said they were her favorites, too, but Aleissa Bleyl, a 10-year-old Ka'a'awa girl who came with her brother, Stephan, and sister Misaki, said she also liked the marching bands, dancers — everything about the parade.

The Pan-Pacific Matsuri Parade is the highlight of the Pan-Pacific Festival, a three-day celebration that has been an annual tradition in Hawai'i for 25 years.

Sponsored by Kintetsu International Hawai'i, a Tokyo-based company, the festival is a celebration of Pacific arts and performances with a heavy emphasis on the Japanese culture. Former sumo star Konishiki (Sa-levaa Atisanoe of Nanakuli), surrounded by children, also rode a float in the parade yesterday.

Akemi Bleyl, Aleissa's mother, yesterday said she brought her children to the Pan-Pacific every year.

Yvonne Winters of Lincoln, Neb., said she and her daughter and grandchildren hadn't planned to attend the parade, they'd just stumbled into it. But they were glad they did.

Winters was pleased to see the Mainland high school marching bands, particularly those from the Midwest. The St. Mary's Central High School Marching Saints, however, looked a little warm in their uniforms, she remarked.

The teens from Bismark, N.D., were wearing wool, and lots of it.