Seattle Center Festál: Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival to be Held 9/7

Ukuleles in abundance - 600 and counting - take center stage at Seattle Center Festál: Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7, in Seattle Center Armory, Mural Amphitheatre and Fisher Rooftop.

The colorful festival celebrates what it means to live "aloha." To Hawaiians, the word means much more than hello and goodbye. It connotes love and respect, something Hawaiians call the aloha spirit. This spirit serves to integrate many ethnic and cultural influences into a melting pot of people to which the islands are home.

Chinese, Japanese, Korean and several other ethnic groups have made their unique mark on Hawaiian culture through food, music and more. The ukulele, for example, which was brought to Hawaii by the Portuguese in the late 19th century, has become integral to Hawaiian music today.

To celebrate the instrument's history and importance, Live Aloha is hosting Aloha Ukulele, and the greater community is invited to bring ukuleles to Seattle Center and join in the playing of four songs, Haole Hula (key of F), Ka Na`i Aupuni (C), There's No Place Like Hawai`i (F), Alu Like (F), 4 p.m., at Mural Amphitheatre stage.

Additional Festival highlights include: two stages of live Hawaiian music and hula; Kanikapila Jam Session (ukuleles, guitars and other instruments); children's activities at Keiki Korner; Hawaiian movies and documentaries; workshops on flower making, Hawaiian language, and the art of ukulele and Hawaiian slack-key guitar; and Hawaiian foods and a marketplace (see below for a full schedule of events).

Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival is produced in partnership with Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival Committee. For more information on Live Aloha, visit seattlelivealohafestival.com. Click on www.seattlecenter.com or call 206 684-7200 to learn more about Seattle Center Festál and other outstanding public programming offered at Seattle Center.