Lei Day at California Hotel and Casino
California Hotel and Casino hosts the 17th Annual Lei Day Polynesian Festival on Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days.
The annual Polynesian festival brings together musicians, dancers, artists, craftsmen and food and beverage vendors to showcase the very best of Hawaii. Entry to the two-day event is FREE.
Throughout the festivities, a continual flow of Hawaiian and Polynesian musicians and dancers will entertain attendees. Special demonstrations and activities will highlight Hawaiian culture, and a number of vendors will be on hand to display and sell arts and crafts. Traditional Hawaiian dishes and delicacies will be available for purchase including kalua pig, lau lau, poi, beef teriyaki sticks and hot malasadas.
Two exciting concerts will also take place during the special event weekend:
On Friday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m., inside the Ohana/Maile Room at the California Hotel and Casino, Hawaiian recording artists and musicians Gary and Sheldeen Haleamau, Keao Costa, George Kuo and Mike Ka’awa will perform, with Makani Tabura emceeing the event. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m.
On Saturday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m., on the festival grounds, Hawaiian recording artists and musicians Kata Maduli, Brother Noland and Beyond Country will perform. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the gate. Gates open at 7 p.m.
About California Hotel and Casino
The California Hotel and Casino, also known as The Cal opened in 1975 at a cost of $10 million with a hotel and casino located in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada near the Fremont Street Experience. When it opened it had 325 rooms which has since been expanded to 781.
The California has been owned by Boyd Gaming since it was built by Sam Boyd.
After facing slow business initially, Boyd soon began focusing on the Hawaiian market, offering Hawaiian food and encouraging a more casual atmosphere. He introduced vacation packages from the islands, with charter airfares as low as $9.90. An estimated 80 to 90 percent of visitors to Las Vegas from Hawaii stay at a Boyd property. Boyd’s Hawaiian marketing, which extended to the Fremont and Main Street Station with their later acquisitions, is credited with helping to build a large Hawaiian community in Las Vegas, which is sometimes called “the ninth island”.
In 1994 an additional tower was added and the remainder of the hotel was remodeled. The property is connected to Main Street Station by an enclosed walkway. – Wikipedia
