The 2024 fair had terrible food!! I don't mind paying higher prices because it's a fundraiser but the product should be excellent for this price. The only thing that was good quality was the malasada and the terri cheeseburger. The absolute worst was the noodles. I think it's a really good set up for younger kids and lots of space for them to play and have fun. I saw a lot of families on the grass with chairs/ blankets so great family environment. They just need to up their food game .... They advertise a lot of it as gourmet .... Maybe perfect the basics and start there. read more

Attended the 2023 Iolani fair for the first time and it was a bit disappointing compared to the Punahou carnival. The fair is definitely smaller than the punahou carnival: less food for sure. The food was a bit disappointing and overpriced. The gumbo is $8 for a tiny bowl with mostly rice. The kalua pork bowl and French fries were too salty. The Greek wrap is nothing green about it: old cold chicken with lettuce. It felt like a waste of money with disappointing food. read more

Wowzers. Iolani really stepped up their carnival game since my high school days (let's just say it was before they built the parking structure... I don't wanna do the math)! I remembered Iolani Fair to be a small, boring, lackluster event when I was a little girl. Fast forward a couple decades later, and it's grown up! New rides, delicious food, and the convenience of location make it a go-to for me and my family compared to the "bigger" carnival competition (let's be honest, the main reason why I don't go to the Punahou Carnival is bc of the parking, and it always rains). For me personally, I can WALK to Iolani school from my apartment. Whoop whoop! Weather seems to be better and more predictable as well. This year, Iolani had a philly cheesesteak and garlic fries stand that was absolutely sinful. Also, try their hot and fresh poi malasadas... a nice change from the traditional. Scrip are $0.50 a piece, and can be used on food and games. Rides have their own swipe card much like DnBs or Jungle fun. Makes line waiting faster and easier! Rides are similar to other fairs and carnivals, and the kids have a blast! Can't wait to see what next year brings! read more

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The Iolani Family Fair.... what is there to say other than this is a smaller, less crowded version of Punahou carnival? I went in the afternoon on Saturday and there was hardly anyone there. There were no lines for food or rides and the tents were pretty empty. This is great if you don't like crowds, but I feel bad for Iolani, because that means they're not making as much money. I tried the waffle dog, a strawberry Italian soda, a corn, a poi Malasada and took home a small gumbo for the next day. The food is kind of pricey, but honestly pretty good. The gumbo was probably my favorite. It was flavorful and served atop a scoop of white rice. At $4.50, it was decently priced. The strawberry Italian soda from the "gourmet food" booth was my least favorite. For $3.50, it was kind of a rip off. Just strawberry syrup and 7 up with whipped cream and sprinkles on top.... haha. It was Instagram friendly, for sure, as one of the moms working the booth pointed out. She told me to "hashtag Iolani Fair". Thanks, aunty. There were only about 3 or 4 rides and about 10 food booths. The market tent had plants, crafts, jellies, kimchee, a white elephant and the alumni shop. I spotted a baby avocado tree for $45 and a little succulent arrangement for $12, so idk if you're gonna get very good deals here. Would I be back next year, probably. But I will Uber or get someone to drop me off since parking at the nearby elementary school was $15!!!! I heard kaimuki hs was charging $10... haha crazy! read more

Ok ok, so it's a little hard for me to admit this, but...I had a FABULOUS time at the Iolani Family Fair last month. =] Yes, it's true. I don't think I've been to the Iolani Fair in about 20 years, ever since they got rid of the rides...& back then, it was ALL about the rides for me, hehehe. 0=) Ironically--now that the rides are finally back--it turns out I'M all about the food!! Oh boy. ;D Oh well, I'm happy for all the teeny-boppers & high schoolers who get to enjoy the rides now...as long as they stay outta my way when I'm making a beeline for the food booths! Having been to lot of school fairs/carnivals this year, I think Iolani's totally carved-out a great niche for themselves...this is hands-down THE most family-friendly fair/carnival I've seen so far!! I LOVED the game tent (all kinds of "homemade EK Fernandez kine" games), and I especially loved that it wasn't wall-to-wall people. I do NOT like crowds or long lines, so I was very pleasantly surprised when we went at 2pm on Saturday...there were a fair amount of people there, but no lines, not crowded at all, & lots of wide open spaces. I really liked the layout of everything, like having the food booths & rides all together on one big field, with the game tent (LOVE IT!!) at the other end. Their track-field featured the entertainment tent (Jordan Segundo happened to be singing when we stopped by, very talented guy), and a super cute "futsal" tournament going on next door. Didn't stop to watch the futsal, but it basically looked like a tiny version of soccer. As for the FOOD...they didn't have any of those "classic" (mainland) carnival foods like funnel cakes or cotton candy--at least from what I saw--but they had TONS of great local choices, which is waaaay better, in my opinion. ;D In the few hours that I got to spend there, I tried the beef stew (delish), chili cheese fries (super yummy), waffle hotdogs (WITH BACON!!), kalua pig & cabbage (so-so, kinda bland), malasadas (totally decent), okinawan noodles (ono!!), corn (so-so, overcooked), kalbi (thin but very tender/tasty), bbq chicken (average), and chicken/sausage gumbo (sooo good!)...phew!!! =D And yes, all I did was walk around and eat the entire time, hehehe. 0=) Even then, I probably only tried about 1/3 of the menu items offered, if that! All in all, I'll definitely be back again, because it was such a well-done event, totally wholesome-feeling--I definitely want to bring all the little nieces & nephews next year-- and it's for a good cause. Not to mention...I never got to try their turkey leg & huli cheesesteaks!!!! ;D Hehehe. But that's not the priority of course. Seriously. Wholesome event! 0=) read more

Iolani school fair 2015 I was a winner. I love attending this event as it always provide good family entertainment food and fun shopping. This year I went on Friday around 3 o'clock in the afternoon and was able to shop. I found microwave, coasters, and really cute tissue holders, very reasonable price. The assortment of plants they offered was amazing. And once again their gourmet tent and food booths offered so many tasty treats. read more

No EK Fernadez rides here, but good ole family fun with great food. Tons of live entertainment, food galore, auctions, games, marketplace, bball tounry, talent contest, and free movies on the football field (this year, Despicable Me and Iron Man 2). If there's one thing that makes Iolani Fair better than the Punahou Carnaval, it's the parking! Iolani Fair patrons have the luxury on parking at Kaimuki High School, for a small fee, and walk across the street to Iolani or take a free shuttle. Disclaimer: Reviewer is an alum. read more

Iolani Fair - Festivals Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

This may sound sad, but this was my first time going to Iolani Fair! My kids are still small which means if they want to ride rides an adult has to go with them which means twice the amount of money! This time we skipped the rides and focused on the games. This fair has their own games, which is really cool! They have some of your popular EK Fernandez games, but a lot of them were different and the kids were excited to play. We got lucky cause we won a soda and a big ball. They give you coupons to redeem at the "store" for assorted prizes which is kinda cool cause the kids can pick what they want. Some prizes were buy one get one free! Rides uses the EK Fernandez card. Food and games uses scripts. It was $.50/script, and everything at any carnival is expensive. Food was ok, we stuck to fried noodles, saimin, hot dog and malasadas. They have porta potty bathrooms and also school bathrooms for use. They even had a silent auction which we didn't check out because having two kids rushing and bugging you isn't worth trying to focus and bid on items. We were lucky and found parking at Ala Wai park...free parking. I heard you can park at Kaimuki High School for $5 and ride the trolley to Iolani. Ala Wai Elementary charges $15 for parking. read more

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Not as crazy or crowded as the Punahou carnival and feels a lot more family friendly if you have much younger kids. Definitely more stroller friendly and the easy nearby parking at Kaimuki HS is a big plus. I think the malasadas are better and it is nice to have the gourmet food options in addition to the regular carnival fare. They even have a lot of places to sit and eat if you need to sit and rest. Activities even included some arts and crafts projects for the kids to work on instead of just playing games and riding rides. Our kids were able to bring home tangible memories and not just the carnival game prizes and a big hole in the wallet... read more

For the last few years that i've been coming here, i'm really NEVER disappointed ever...EVER! it's clean, no mud crazy mess. The track/field area is open to sit and enjoy a movie at night & who doesn't love watching movies under the night sky? Food is delicious! Okinawan noodles, and it's always a heaping huge portion! mmmm. Waffles dogs, garlic fries with chili, cheese and hot sauce? yes! the only sad part is that it's only once a year, but definitely better choices in food here than any other school fair...oh! & the fact that it's not crazy packed like a sardine when going. read more

This is an awesome fair! I loved the setup of everything. We made the mistake of going at 2pm when it is scorching hot. They are smart, that's how they get you to go into the silent auction to cool off in the ac, and bid on a trip to Napa Valley or buy a new car! . They had some amazing cakes that were made(see pics) You could buy them or win them just by playing a game. Of course my favorite thang was eating. I ate 2 things. The Paina dog(pic) $8 bucks and the Huli Beef Sandwich Au Jus(pic) $5.50. I have just became a huge Iolani Fair Fan based on these 2 dishes. The first one the Paina Dog had a big wiener in a big tortilla topped with kalua pig, chili, one scoop rice, kim chee, wrap it up and put some more chili on top with cheese.... I loved the kimchee in this one! I ate the whole thing! The other dish I tried was the best sandwich I had ever eaten! There were tons ( about 1 lb) of prime rib sliced and dipped into au jus and placed on a soft french bread. You were given a side of au jus to dip your sandwich in.... I thought I had died and gone to carnivore heaven. I thought this was fundraiser.... I don't know how they made money on this one? The meat was perfectly cooked, it melted in my mouth and my eyes went to the back of my head! In fact I am going to switch out and put this as my "last meal on earth" in my bio! I wanted to try the steak and shrimp combo.... it looked superb..... but I was just too full..... "D'oh!" I needed the trolley ride to get back to my car. read more

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Oh. my. goodness. I love the 'Iolani Fair Gumbo (chicken and sausage). It's courtesy of Elmer Guzman, chef from Poke Stop (http://www.yelp.com/biz/poke-stop-mililani?q=gumbo), who makes the oh-so-yummy New Orleans-inspired gumbo. Thankfully, they even offered it frozen so I can enjoy a few more times. You don't understand how happy this makes me. (And just for the record, I believe he also sells gumbo at his shops.) Overall, the Fair is super family-oriented, not too crowded, very convenient parking/shuttle at Kaimuki High School, and yummy food choices. I like the Huli Beef Sandwich with Au Jus, French Fries (garlic, please!), Gourmet Tent (wraps, pasta, desserts, sushi, flavored teas!), Shave Ice, Malasadas (Li Hing!), and the relaxing atmosphere. There are rides and jumpy-thingys for kids, so you can def bring the kiddies. Lots of bathrooms located at the Weinberg Building so you don't have to use the porta-potties. Love the silent auction and the futsol action (soccer-ish) on the Eddie Hamada field. It's a great time for all!!! See you next year at the fair! Go Raiders! read more

Good fair for young children under 8 would have fun here. Many bouncers and child rides. Now we live walking distance so were happy not to have to worry about parking. We went Saturday night around 6pm so it wasn't sunny and hot. The games there were expensive, most games $2.50. My son's $20 in scripts were gone fast but he had fun. We later bought $20 in scripts and let him do the bouncer and some rides. We used the rest of the scripts for food. The teri cheeseburger and garlic fries were good. read more

4.20.13. This was my first time attending the 'Iolani Fair...and as a tried & true Buff N' Blue, I'll admit I was pleasantly surprised! I really liked the family atmosphere--I did feel a bit old, or that I should have had a kid with me--but it was pretty relaxing and pretty stress-free! Lines were a breeze, which was a big plus and the food wasn't bad. It was nice to see a pretty wide selection. Prices seemed kind of high...but I guess it's relative. My favs of the night were the Waffle Dog (KC's, BOMB.COM $4), Garlic Fries (SUPER YUM! Not too garlicky!! $3) and the Shave Ice (WAIOLA'S?! $3.50 for normal, $1 per extra). Sorry 'Iolani but the malasadas didn't really cut it for me! For parking, I would suggest paying the $5 to park at Kaimuki HS. 'Iolani runs a shuttle to/from the campus, but it's also close enough to walk it. I'm really glad I decided to check this out tonight; great experience--hopefully I'll be able to come again! Yelp 365 Challenge: #109/365 read more

I enjoy supporting schools, so that is one reason why I enjoy coming to the Iolani Fair every year. They have just enough rides, games, food, and market to make the fair an enjoyable and fun one. The food is not amazing, but it's a fair so I don't expect restaurant quality, although I did really enjoy the Fried Noodles. The malasadas was ok, along with the teri cheese burger (it had a cold bun and cold cheese), and waffle hot dog. I am happy that the volunteers were reuniting with maybe classmates that maybe they didn't see for awhile, but then a lot of the volunteers weren't paying attention to the customers, a lot of them were having too much fun playing around or chatting in which causes them to not pay attention to the customers that were standing in front of them to possibly play games or purchase food. But my family and I still enjoyed ourselves, the volunteers were all very friendly, and the games were all fun, and they had a variety of prices. My family will continue to support Iolani as we always still have a lot of fun. It takes a lot to put a fair together, so we are grateful that Iolani works their very best to continue the fair. Plus, parking is food, I loved the parking people, they were so helpful ($5 for parking). And they have a lot of parking with a trolley available to take you to the entrance if needed. read more

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Fun Fun Fun! First time here! I felt sooo young again. It was really cool seeing all the vendors, carnival rides, games and more! One of the things i enjoyed most about this event is that it made me feel like i was in high school again. I saw kids running around, and everyone was so happy. It kind of reminded me of the different clicks that are always presents amongst high school students. Seeing students chase around other students, playing silly games, flirting amongst young couples, win prizes just made me feel like i was a kid again. Putting myself in that sort of environment is sort of surreal! I remember there was one point as i was walking around somewhere between chomping down on my lihing mui malasada, when i stopped off by the performance stage to see what sort of acts were performing. I was fortunate to hear a band of highschooler's play "Times Like These" by the Foofighters. I thought it was the best song to select to set the mood for that night! Also what talent was exhibited by this young band to be so skilled in the arts of playing music, keeping composure, and hours of practice that went along with performing the act properly. It was quite amazing to hear high school students being able to properly perform this type of music! One of the food items i tried here was the waffle dog! I came here a bit late, more towards the end of the carnival, but it was my first time EVER trying a waffle dog. I thought, how creative it was to think of such a food item. You get the best of both worlds! As i mentioned the lihing mui malasada was also pretty new to me! They came out fresh and steamy hot. Sprinkled with sugar and lihing mui! A unique and creative concoction, much different from the original malasadas served here throughout various malasadas vendors. I wish the high school i went to had a fair like this. I think that there is a sense of fulfillment that one gets when they are put in this type environment. It goes beyond fun, and games, and has an underlying sense of happiness, that reaches out to us all. It pulls us away from all the commotions of adulthood and into the business of daily life and says, "Hey! Don't you remember what it was like to be young and free again?" read more

SInce moving to this island, I'm on a mission to experience all the school fairs and ho'olaulea's I can. Been to Punahou twice (by default coz it's in front of my church and in my hood). But from the invitation of my husband's co-worker, we went to our first Iolani Fair this past weekend and it was a very good time. Especially since we had 4 kids under the age of 5 in tow. In my opinion, this fair is more geared towards younger children and families just wanting to be in a relaxing & festive environment for dinner and entertainment. They don't have big people rides (like Punahou) but they do have a lot more space, which is key with little kids. They just need more room roam and Iolani Fair has that. The set up is nice and the there's something for everyone to check out. Entertainment was really good, too. First class perfomers for sure. I would definitely bring my littles ones again. Pros: -The plant market: great selection of plants! -Free Trolley from the vast parking lot -Little kid rides and lots of bounce houses with little to no lines (on Fri at 5pm) -Real bathroom set up vs. porta potty (eeeeew) -Food selection is good -Entertainment stage was centrally located so that everyone could see it or at least hear it. Nice to be at the kiddie helicopter ride and hearing the live band play their Maroon 5 cover song. I liked that a lot =) A totally different vibe than just playing music over an intercom or having students "shouting out" each other on an intercom. Which the never did at Iolani. Nice.... -Good prizes at the midway Cons: -Long *ss lines for food especially the KC Waffle dog! Make that booth bigger next year please.... -parking isn't free but it helps out the local highschool read more

This my first Iolani Fair since they stopped having the Iolani Carnival (yes, showing my age lol). It does not disappoint. My daughter and I went early to avoid the crowd and get parking, so we were there at about 4:30. The food selection was amazing! They had KC waffle dogs, pizza, smoothies, gyros, crepes, and many other global selections. Chef Ronnie Nasuti from Tikis was on hand at the gourmet tent, which I thought was pretty cool. I ended up eating exactly what my daughter wanted to eat. Pizza. No doubt my daughter is not a blossoming foodie. We this is not a carnival, so the rides were super scaled down. It was mostly for elementary and intermediate aged kids. They had tons of bounce houses, and super elaborate ones at that. A huge dinosaur and some obstacle courses that my daughter just loved. The games were awesome! There were the normal carnival games, along with some for the preschoolers. It was definitely a fun game tent. If you're going, make sure you hit up the whole fair because they have a balloon making tent and face painting tucked away in the far corner. They also have a wacky picture booth close to there too. They have talent shows, music, a movie at night (I think it was kung fu panda last night), a marketplace, and tons of other goodies. Definitely a must go if you're looking for something to do today. **hint: there's a bank of Hawaii atm in the back by the popcorn. ;) read more

Interesting how they are trying to upgrade this 2014 year... contracting with EK Fernandez instead of Extreme Fun was a great idea that should've been done prior! The food, plants, and other goods all increased in price...some worth it & others not so much!!! Lihing malasadas & teri cheese burgers are still top notch!!! read more

This fair is pleasant, though it doesn't hold a candle to the State Fair, of course. It is nice compared to Punahou since you don't have to weave through thousands of people just to get to the corn on the cob booth. The prize redemption idea is pretty cool, but I think the food here might be the best part, though it is a little pricey. Good things: - Amusing games - Fun prizes at the coupon redemption booth - Pleasant staff - Yummy food - Short ride lines (compared to Pun carnival) - Tram from the parking lot at Kaimuki High takes you all the way to the fair gate Bad things: - Iolani kids letting sooo many other Iolani kids cut with them in line for rides while little children behind and around them look on helplessly. - No more winning real, live goldfish (the whole reason I came!) I know you can't really police a carnival and make sure people don't cut into lines, but what I witnessed at the Zipper was craaaazy. The kids were boisterous and rude and setting a bad example for exactly-48-inches-tall kids, who ended up not being allowed onto the ride as soon as they got in front because of rain. They would've made it onto that ride if a group of 4 hadn't let a group of 5 and then 2 hop the fence with them. So rude. read more

My son and I love to go to the fair to walk around, ride rides and play games. It's an annual tradition we have been doing for about 3 years now. It's nice to just get out of the house and enjoy with other families. The fair is always around the time of my birthday, so it's a nice treat! read more

Fun games and rides, great food and finds, and just a generally good time all due a great educational cause.

My husband, son, and I had a fabulous time at this fair! Parking was a breeze because of the wonderful trolley that took us to the fair. My son enjoyed the games and everyone was so nice! We hope to go again next year! read more