---
title: "About the Department of Parks and Recreation"
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source_url: "https://www.honolulu.gov/dpr/about-us/"
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summary: "The Department of Parks and Recreation in Honolulu manages 403 park facilities across Oʻahu, offering diverse recreational amenities including beaches, playgrounds, pools, and gardens. The department provides year-round programs for all ages, hosts cultural events like the Nā Hula Festival, and is dedicated to maintaining green spaces and community engagement."
tags: "parks-recreation, honolulu, oahu, community-programs, public-facilities, cultural-events"
key_entities: "Department of Parks and Recreation in Honolulu (organization), Oʻahu (location), Honolulu (location), Laura H. Thielen (person), Kēhaulani Puʻu (person), Nā Hula Festival (event), Kapiʻolani Park (location), Hawaiian culture preservation (concept)"
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# About the Department of Parks and Recreation

Skip to content Aloha kākou! We are responsible for the city parks all across the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. From playgrounds to camp grounds, beach parks to botanical gardens, there is sure to be a facility near you. Enjoy a picnic at a regional park or lift some weights at a gym. Swim laps in a pool or ride the ramps at a skate park. It’s all yours! The department also provides year-round recreation programs for all ages. Register your keiki in one of our popular Summer Fun programs, shop for locally grown produce at our People’s Open Markets or grow your own in a community garden. Our facilities also host a wide variety of activities throughout the year including concerts, fairs, competitions and cultural exhibitions. For example, our Nā Hula Festival at Kapiʻolani Park is the longest running, non-competitive hula event in the state. We can surely help you find the activities that you want. Everyone in our department is dedicated to keeping our island green, our residents and visitors happy and our facilities operating. We hope you enjoy the outdoors! Table of Contents MOTTO: We add quality to life! Our Vision & Mission We promote excellence by providing relevant and innovative programs and services for our communities and beyond. We foster meaningful connections which are mutually beneficial through internal and external collaborations. We accomplish our vision by: creating park programs and environments that are safe, active, welcoming, and engaging; investing in staff growth and development; gathering data and feedback to assess, improve, and develop plans that are responsive and supportive of community needs; engaging in ongoing professional growth to stay relevant and evolve to meet community needs; aligning to division-wide standards, outcomes, and guidelines to promote program quality and continuous improvement; collaborating internally across our department with a focus on high quality impact; and by building relationships with external organizations through the sharing of knowledge, skills, and resources. Director (Po‘o) - Laura H. Thielen Confirmed in February 2021 as Director, Laura has previous government experience as a State Senator, DLNR Chairperson, and Director of the State Office of Planning. Through these positions, and as a keiki o ka ‘āina, Laura has developed a recognition of the value and responsibility for caring for our lands, open spaces, recreational, historic and cultural places, while developing and operating programs to build civic character, healthy lifestyles, and embedding the preservation and perpetuation of kuleana for the care of our unique environment and culture. Deputy Director (Hope Po‘o) - Kēhaulani Puʻu Reappointed in August 2025, Kēhau is a graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi and resident of Leeward Oʻahu. She holds a Master’s degree in Education from Harvard University. Prior to joining the City, she spent over a decade with Kamehameha Schools in various leadership roles and has dedicated much of her career to advancing Hawaiian culture and education through her work with Leeward Community College, Hale Kuamoʻo at the University of Hawaiʻi Hilo, and ʻAha Pūnana Leo Inc. Responsibilities We manage, maintain, and operate all City parks, recreational facilities, and City-owned trees on O‘ahu; develop and implements programs for cultural and recreational activities; and beautify the city’s parks, playgrounds, and other public areas. This includes 403 designated park facilities on 4,986 acres, while also overseeing approximately 1,739 acres of undeveloped lands around O‘ahu. Maps of Park Locations & Facilities Park Locations, Dog Parks, Pools, Campgrounds, Gardens, & Skate Facilities Playgrounds, Swing Sets, Fitness Stations, & Gymnasiums Summer Fun Sites and Programs Beach Access, Lifeguard Towers, ADA Beach Resources bit.ly/OahuParkMap bit.ly/OahuPlaygrounds bit.ly/SummerFunMap bit.ly/OahuBeachAccess Types of Park & Garden Locations 88 Beach Right of Ways 81 Neighborhood Parks 63 Beach Parks 50 Community Parks 31 Mini Parks 27 District Parks 22 Miscellaneous Parks 18 Urban Parks 9 Regional Parks 7 Pedestrian Malls 5 Botanical Gardens 2 Nature Preserves Park & Garden Ammenities Approximately 100,000 Street & Park Trees 767 Outdoor Play Courts 205 Basketball 198 Tennis 191 Pickleball 173 Volleyball 221 Ball Diamonds 484 Park Buildings 144 Recreation Buildings 31 Pool Structures (pump rooms, etc.) 25 Gymnasiums 62 Pavilions, Storage, Utility Rooms, etc. 222 Stand-Alone Comfort Stations (Bathroom Buildings) 1,351 Toilets 1,156 Water Faucets 386 Urinals 282 Showers 162 Playgrounds, Swings, & Fitness Stations 129 Play Fields 34, 919 Sprinkler Heads 23 People’s Open Markets 21 Pool Sites 17 Campgrounds w/ 218 campsites 15 Skate Parks and Roller Rinks 11 Community Gardens w/ 1,238 plots Special Events / Programs Senior Valentine Dance – February Kualoa / Hakipu‘u Wa‘a Fest – March Lei Court Selection – March Senior Fun Walk – April Lei Day Celebration – May 1 Mayor’s Memorial Day – End of May Summer Fun – June to July Midsummer Night’s Gleam – July Nā Hula Festival – August Talk Story Festival – October Mayor’s Arbor Day – November Mayor’s Craft & Country Fair – November Kapolei City Lights – December Click the image above for DPR's informational brochure designed by the City's Design & Print Center! Staffing & Budget Though staffing changes regularly with such a larger department, a snapshot of DPR’s employees from January 2025 showed we have 776 full-time, 920 contract, and 620 seasonal employees. For Fiscal Year 2024 (July 2023 – June 2024) the department’s Operating Budget was $109.81 million, with a Capital Improvement Budget of just over $38.72 million. Our large and diverse department is organized in three main divisions: Parks Maintenance and Recreation Services (PMRS), Division of Urban Forestry (DUF), and Executive Services Division (ESD). Park Maintenance & Recreation Services (PMRS) GEOGRAPHIC PARK DISTRICTS District 1: East Honolulu (Ka Iwi to Waikīkī) 808-768-8944 ~ DPREastDistrict@honolulu.gov District 2: West Honolulu (M akiki to ‘Aiea) 808-768-9292 ~ DPRWestDistrict@honolulu.gov District 3: Leeward O‘ahu (Waipahū to Mākaha) 808-768-6889 ~ DPRLeeward@honolulu.gov District 4: Windward O‘ahu (Mokulēʻia to Makapu’u) 808-768-8980 ~ DPRWindDistrict@honolulu.gov District 5: Central O‘ahu (Pearl City to Whitmore) 808-768-6940 ~ dprdistrictV@honolulu.gov RECREATION SUPPORT SERVICES Adopt-a-Park / Volunteering 808-768-3034 Children & Youth 808-768-3026 Culture and Arts 808-768-3020 People’s Open Markets 808-768-9299 Senior Citizens 808-768-6893 Sports & Aquatics 808-768-3044 Therapeutic Recreation 808-768-3027 MAINTENANCE SUPPORT SERVICES (808) 768-5353 Carpentry / Masonry / Painting Plumbing / Irrigation Mechanical Repairs / Welding Field Maintenance / Heavy Equipment Operations Division of Urban Forestry (DUF) Helping to keep our island green while improving our resiliency; DUF plants, prunes and maintains thousands of street and park trees, cultivates the plant nurseries, manages the botanical and community gardens, and engages the community through its community forestry program. They also respond to tree-related emergencies during severe weather events. DUF consists of two branches, Horticulture Services and Botanical Gardens: HORTICULTURE SERVICES (808) 971-7151 ~ duf@honolulu.gov Nursery & Landscaping: propagates and grows plants and trees used for City projects and DUF’s tree planting program. This section nurses approximately 3,800 plants and trees across five nurseries and tree farms; Kapiʻolani, Nuʻuanu, Waipahū, Waiawa, and Patsy T. Mink Central Oʻahu Regional Park. Arboriculture: trims, prunes, and maintains palms and shade trees along public roadways and in City parks locations. They perform specialized arboriculture work, inspect the tree’s health/condition, and are tasked with emergency responses to fallen trees or branches. BOTANICAL GARDENS (808) 768-7135 ~ hbg@honolulu.gov Botanical Gardens: includes five diverse and beautiful locations across O‘ahu: Foster, Liliʻuokalani, Hoʻomaluhia, Koko Crater, and Wahiawā. Each garden is home to its unique set of flora, and all together, they create a vast and bountiful collection of plants for anyone to visit and explore. Community Gardens: started in 1975 to provide people living in Honolulu’s densely populated communities access to garden plots. Today, it oversees 11 community gardens with 1,229 plots. Executive Services Division (ESD) The core support for the department, ESD provides administrative, management, and personnel services to DPR, including: budgeting, planning, permitting, inventory, payroll, labor relations and contract reviews. Contact them at (808) 768-3006 PERMITTING & CAMPING Issued 13,031 park use permits and 8,025 camping permits in 2024. We hope you have the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors in one of our public campgrounds, and experience a renewed appreciation for our beautiful island home in the process. Click here for more information. PARK RANGER ASSESSMENT PROGRAM Launched in late 2022, this program is exploring the possibility of park rangers in your City parks. Primarily focused on unauthorized commercial activity, rangers were first tasked with surveying existing conditions and gathering data. From November 2023 to January 2025, park rangers spent a total of 91,400 minutes collecting data in City parks around O’ahu, recording 5,232 individual instances of commercial activity at these public locations. Click here for more information. Advisory Boards Arborist Advisory Committee In the City and County of Honolulu, the Arborist Advisory Committee (AAC) is overseen by the Department of Parks and Recreation’s Division of Urban Forestry. The committee meets monthly with meetings announced one week prior by the City Clerk’s Office . The nine-member committee is appointed by the Mayor and includes: Director of the Department of Planning and Permitting (ex officio) One certified arborist One landscape architect Six individuals selected for their experience in urban forestry, community beautification, or ecological sciences Board of Parks and Recreation This volunteer board was created to advise DPR on recreational, cultural, and public entertainment opportunities at City parks and facilities.The nine Board members represent a broad sampling of professionals with backgrounds and first-hand experience in: youth outreach, leadership development, kūpuna engagement, environmental stewardship, Hawaiian cultural advocacy, designing public spaces, recreational programming, and promoting healthy lifestyles. The Board was created per City Charter Chapter 14 Section 6-1404, with members appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Honolulu City Council. Shore Water Advisory Group The Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation’s Shore Water Advisory Group (SWAG) was formed to facilitate revisions, public participation, and implementation of the rules governing Shore Water Events for the City and County of Honolulu (island of O‘ahu). Shore Water Events typically include activities that involve permitted use of coastal and beach areas for the purpose of accessing the ocean, like surf contests, canoe regattas, triathlons, and swim races. These rules are designed to work in tangent with ocean permitting and usage guidelines facilitated by the State of Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resource’s Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation (DOBOR). Scroll to Top