MORE THAN 2,000 TO DANCE ‘ELECTRIC SLIDE’ AT KALIHI BLOCK PARTY 

Great food and fun are in store for the second annual “A Taste of Kalihi” festival this Saturday, September 6, and more than 2,000 dancers are expected to set a new record in the Central Pacific Bank Electric Slide Challenge.

The annual event was initiated by the Mayor’s Kalihi Economic Summit in 2007, in close partnership with the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii Foundation. 

“This is a great opportunity for visitors and residents alike to experience what my home town of Kalihi has to offer: a great place to live, work and raise a family,” said Mayor Mufi Hannemann.

Organizers expect to shatter last year’s 800-person electric slide record during the evening dance at the Kalihi-style gathering scheduled from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Colburn St. between Waiakamilo and McNeil streets. A portion of the event proceeds will be donated to the Kalihi-based Kalihi Palama Health Center.

“When Kalihi throws a party, we throw it big,” says festival chairperson and long-time Kalihi resident Harry Alonso. “The electric slide is Hawaii’s most popular party-dance and no party is complete without this happening.”  

A Taste of Kalihi is the neighborhood’s annual block-party-style celebration highlighting Kalihi's rich history while bringing together business organizations, area residents and supporters to help promote and revitalize Kalihi. 

Attendees will be able to experience the area’s unique flavors through samplings of Kalihi’s delicious cuisines, dynamic entertainment and exciting activities. In addition to the dance challenge, a “Kalihi Backyard BBQ Cook-off,” free health services and a legal clinic will also be a part of the festivities.  

To ensure the integrity of the dance count, numbered glow-in-the dark wristbands will be distributed to participants. For more information, contact Chairperson Harry Alonso at (808) 306-3460 or at halonso1@gmail.com.

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City contact: Mark Scalzone, Mayor’s Office of Economic Development 768-3893