Kalama Heritage Festival

A Celebration of Shared Heritage

This festival is a celebration of shared heritage, history, culture and home to honor John Kalama. At 16, Kalama left his home in Hawaii in the early 1830s to take a job aboard one a fur-trading ship making its way to the Pacific Northwest. He didn't like life at sea. Upon arrival in the Puget Sound area, he made friends with the Nisqually Indians and later married Chief Martin's daughter Mary. They moved to the Kalama area and settled there.

The town took its name from John Kalama and in return now honors him, Mary, and their descendents with a festival that highlights Hawaiian and Native American cultures. The event continues to grow, drawing people from as far away as Hawaii.

The Heritage Festibal features Indian and Hawaiian drumming, hula shows, and demonstrations of Hawaiian and Native American culture.

To get a true taste of island culture, be sure to attend the luau, an experience in authentic Hawaiian cooking at Port of Kalama's spectacular beach.  

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