Summer Fun registration changing after technical issues

Following technical issues with online registration for Summer Fun Programs last Saturday, the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is modifying the upcoming registration schedule to avoid future problems.

Registration will continue to be held online, however the timetable will be split into two days to avoid large numbers of O‘ahu families accessing the PROS (Parks and Recreation Online System) website at the same time.

The following is the schedule for upcoming online registration, which continues to be based on geographic park district:

District 3 (Pearlridge to Waiʻanae to Wahiawā) ph. (808) 768-6889

• Online Registration opens Saturday, May 15 at 9 a.m.

District 4 (Waialua to Waimānalo) ph. (808) 768-8980

• Online Registration opens Saturday, May 22 at 9 a.m.

On Saturday, May 8, online registration for Summer Fun Sites in Park Districts 1 & 2 (Hawai‘i Kai to ‘Aiea) experienced significant technical problems resulting in many families being unable to access the online system. In response, DPR staff provided in-person registration until 12 noon that day to accommodate the significant demand. The following days, that same staff worked diligently to cross reference the various registrations, equitably determine who was able to register, and contact the individual registrants concerning any other outstanding issues. Registration for Districts 1 & 2 will remain open until all spots are filled, but no additional make-up registration is anticipated.

“We apologize for the frustration and inconvenience this online system caused to thousands of O‘ahu families last Saturday,” said DPR Director Laura H. Thielen. “We are confident that the adjustments will make these upcoming online registrations much smoother, but out of an abundance of caution we are splitting the registrations for Districts 3 & 4. We want to assure parents that this free Summer Fun Program will continue to uphold its safety and quality standards despite these registration issues. The overwhelming demand for these programs is evident, and we look forward to providing our communities with much needed keiki fun, education, and socialization.”

“What we experienced on Saturday was an unfortunate result of an unusually large volume of site visits causing a server bottleneck,” said Department of Information Technology Director Mark Wong. “In anticipation of potentially tens of thousands of site visitors in a matter of minutes, we are streamlining the sites and deploying twelve times as many servers. We do not want these programs to be a victim of their own popularity, and we thank DPR for their help with these improvements.”

Testing and improvements to the PROS system will continue to be conducted today and tomorrow in anticipation of further online registrations. There may be some minor delays as a result during that time. We greatly appreciate the patience and understanding of the public as we work to improve this system.

For more information about the free 2021 Summer Fun Program please visit: http://bit.ly/SummerFunOahu  

DPR continues its recruitment of workers for our Summer Fun Program as well. For anyone interested in these seasonal job opportunities working with kids in an outdoor and engaging environment, please visit: http://bit.ly/SummerFunJobs

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 [email protected]