New paint, new lights, more memories: Big Ben brings holiday cheer to Hilo

The Downtown Hilo Christmas Lights Parade has always been a staple holiday tradition for me and the Hilo community, signaling the beginning of the holiday season with festive lights, music, and massive floats of Christmas decorations. For as long as I can remember, I have in some way attended the downtown Hilo parade, whether it was sitting on the sidewalk with my family to watch, playing the clarinet with my intermediate and high school marching bands, or joining the iconic “Big Ben,” our Hawaiian Electric Toys for Tots Train, in the parade.

“Big Ben” has been a part of the Downtown Hilo Christmas Lights Parade for over 25 years, originally as an effort to raise awareness for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program. During that time, the train only took a four-year hiatus from the parade for repairs and upgrades. A similar timeline for me, since the few years I didn’t attend the Hilo parade were when I went to the mainland for college. In 2024, Big Ben made its return, and it was my first year at the company, so I was able to join the parade once again!

This year, on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, I flew home from Honolulu to Hilo and walked in the parade with Hawaiian Electric, but “Big Ben” looked a little different. Instead of the black, yellow, and red train, it was repainted purple and white! Not only that, but the amazing light show, coordinated and programmed by Hawaiian Electric engineer Stanward Oshiro, now spanned the entire train, all the way to the caboose. Seeing these changes took me back to when I was little and got to be a part of the parade with Hawaiian Electric and “Big Ben.”

My dad, Dave Okamura, is an engineer for Hawaiian Electric on Hawaii Island, and when my brother and I were younger, he brought us along to company events — my favorite being the Christmas parade. I fondly remember sitting near the driver’s seat of the train with “Uncle Robert,” or Robert Kaneshiro, who is our superintendent of system operations on Hawaii Island, alongside his daughter, Akemi. Uncle Robert was usually driving the train, which at the time was decked out in string lights and tinsel. My favorite song that would play was Hannah Montana’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.” This year, the crowd favorite was definitely “Golden” by HUNTR/X from the K-Pop Demon Hunters movie, timed to the lightshow on the side of the train which even included the characters. Children on the sidewalks and in the caboose sang along as “Big Ben” rolled through downtown Hilo.

It’s incredible to see the evolution of “Big Ben’s” design, which changed with advances in technology. I’ll be honest, I don’t think I was as excited to be in the parade once I was too old to ride on the train. However, now that I also work for Hawaiian Electric and can volunteer to be in the parade, I’m glad to have all these memories to look back on.

Thank you to the amazing group of employee volunteers and their ohana for working hard to decorate and upgrade “Big Ben” through the years. Nothing is more special than coming home to see that some of the same traditions are still alive.