Centennial Park Waikīkī Opened To The Public

Press release from the City and County of Honolulu:

February 2, 2021

O‘AHU – The culmination of approximately 4,000 hours of volunteer work, over $1.53 million in donations, and cross-jurisdictional planning spearheaded by the Rotary Club of Honolulu was realized today with the public opening of Centennial Park Waikīkī.

Located at 425 Royal Hawaiian Avenue in the heart of O‘ahu’s tourism district, this roughly three-quarter of an acre park represents the 304th City park under the jurisdiction of the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation.

What was once an undeveloped parcel of City property, primarily used as a staging area for construction vehicles, is now a beautifully landscaped open area that belongs to the entire community. That landscaping includes a wide variety of plant life ranging from Monkeypod and various palm trees, to smaller plants like pōhinhina, ti, ginger, and spider lilies surrounding a lush lawn of St. Augustine grass.

The transformation began with the vision of former nearby resident Bill Sweatt. That dream was carried forward by the Rotary Club of Honolulu, who pursued the philanthropic effort in honor of their 100th anniversary, making it one of the oldest Rotary clubs in the United States.

“I want to extend my profound gratitude to the Rotary Club for their fantastic volunteer effort and hard work towards realizing this lofty goal, and to the City staff who assisted them along the way,” said Mayor Rick Blangiardi. “For me there is no park too big or too small that doesn’t have a significant impact on the surrounding community. We are blessed to have the year-round ability to enjoy our parks here in Hawai‘i, and I hope everyone gets a chance to experience this lovely new park.”

While the park is opening to the public beginning today, the Rotary Club’s drive to improve this parcel will continue with plans to improve the park’s fencing, install seating, and add lighting.

“It’s been a long road to get to today, and we look forward to the continued partnership with the city to fully realize this park’s potential,” said Rich Proctor, President of Rotary Club of Honolulu.

The park open hours will be from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

If you need an auxiliary aid/service, other accommodations due to a disability, or an interpreter for a language other than English in reference to this announcement, please call DPR at (808) 768-3003 on weekdays from 7:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This press release was produced by the City and County of Honolulu. The views expressed are the author's own.