Join us September 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a free anniversary event at Foster Botanical Garden
Flyer for the celebration event for the 50th Anniversary of the Honolulu Recreational Community Gardening Program on September 13, 2025
Fostering future growth while paying homage to decades of strong roots; you are invited to celebrate the golden anniversary of the Honolulu Recreational Community Gardening Program in your City parks and gardens this September!
The Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is proud to announce a special celebration event marking the 50th anniversary of this beloved program on Saturday, September 13, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the illustrious Foster Botanical Garden.
Admission to the event and garden are free, with the celebration featuring: educational displays, demonstrations, garden tours, entertainment, food, and of course lots of greenery. Learn more about event parking and read Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s proclamation declaring September as “Honolulu Community Gardening Month” by visiting the celebration’s website: www.honolulu.gov/dpr/hrcgp-50th-anniversary-event/
“Keep Growing” is the theme of this 50th anniversary celebration, as we nurture growth amongst gardeners and the program itself. DPR’s efforts to enhance the community gardening program are already taking root, with recent investments in staffing, community outreach, revised program rules, and plans for new community gardens. This growth is vitally important as the demand for community gardening space has blossomed, with wait times for new gardeners to join the program, and receive a plot of their own, lasting up to three years.
The community gardening program was founded in 1975 under Mayor Frank Fasi’s Administration, with the first community garden located in Makiki District Park. Since then, the community gardening program has grown to 11 communities on O‘ahu. Each garden has its own unique character, with more than 2,000 gardeners actively engaged in growing vegetables, herbs, flowers, and other bio-diverse greenery. Community gardening isn’t just about growing plants, but also growing relationships and community. In addition to the harvests that their garden plots yield, gardeners enjoy: social interaction, creative problem solving, recreational opportunities, and exercise in our parks.
This program is administered by DPR and led by teams of volunteers who facilitate garden meetings, workdays, coordinate special projects, and communicate with neighborhood organizations about common concerns. Their goal is to be an integral element of our City parks, as they share these public spaces with a diverse community of park users.
You can also be part of helping unearth the hidden history of our community gardens! To further our historical understanding of this program, we are requesting former gardeners, their family members, and community members to share their memories or photographs of the community gardens. We have decades of history that we would like to preserve! Community gardens have hosted gardening education programs, guest speakers, volunteer projects, meet-ups, and so much more. We would like to document and preserve these stories as part of the community gardens’ living culture. If you would like to contribute to this living history, please contact communitygardens@honolulu.gov
Join the community gardening ‘ohana and help celebrate 50 years of going green on September 13!
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 contact the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation at (808) 768-3003 on weekdays from 7:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. or email parks@honolulu.gov at least three business days before the scheduled event. Without sufficient advanced notice, it may not be possible to fulfill requests.
—PAU—
Follow the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation online and on social media:
YouTube: bit.ly/DPRyoutube Twitter: @honolulu_parks Instagram: @honolulu_parks
Facebook: facebook.com/honolulu.parks Nextdoor: bit.ly/DPRnextdoor
Website: honolulu.gov/parks
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