If your trip to Maui includes the first Friday of the month, make sure you visit "Wailuku First…read moreFriday"! Basically it's a community block party that features great music, great food, great vendors, and tons of fun! They close down a two-block stretch of street, turn on the festive lights, and start the music! There are many food choices available; food trucks, fundraiser food booths featuring filipino, Chinese, Greek, Mexican, etc., so you won't go hungry. You'll be jiving down the street to the lively music...and you won't be the only ones! You'll find street vendors selling their wares, but do yourself a favor and step into many of the brick-and-mortar storefronts and support their businesses as well. I stopped into Ceci Chennault Studio featuring Aloha Maui Creations and purchased the cutest "Maui" pillow! Each succeeding Friday a different town hosts the party. Lahaina hosts "Second Friday", Makawao hosts "Third Friday", and Kihei hosts "Fourth Friday". We went to the Lahaina event but it wasn't even close to being as much fun as Wailuku's. Step away from the tourist traps and visit this cool local happening!

I love coming to Wailuku First Friday! So many things to buy. So many food to try. Today we got…read morehot dogs from Kaeo kine grindz, she's absolutely sweet. She has the best service ever! We also got popcorn tako from Pupus on Da Go! Those guys are awesome too. Always kind service we receive. Follow both of them on Instagram to see where they'll be next!

Took the family to the Maui County Fair this year. It was nice to get out and enjoy the fair vibes,…read morebut I was a little disappointed with some of the food, didn't really hit the spot. Also there weren't as many local vendors selling handmade or Maui-made items this time around, which I usually love. My kids (2 and 6) had fun on the rides though, and of course the cotton candy was a big hit! They didn't think the games were that fun, but their dad enjoyed playing them overall a decent family outing, but hoping for more local options and better food next year.

It was nice to see the fair back after five years. I am not the biggest fair person but I know it…read moreis important to the community and with so few activities for locals it is nice to see events coming back. It is definitely a new vibe as there was more of a security presence as you entered. The other difference was the fun pass that you had to download. I felt and talking to other people that the app was fairly intrusive requiring a lot of personal information just to be able to use it and no choice to just use it as a guest. So I did not like that. I also feel like they were taking advantage of people with the additional fees for using their own app that you had to use unless you wanted to stand in the mile long lines for cash. The food booths were decent with a lot of new foods but I feel like we were missing some of the old traditional favorites. Or maybe I'm just getting old ! I did enjoy seeing people that I haven't seen in a long time some family and friends. I feel like a lot of the ride options were for the younger crowd. It just seemed like there was not as much for the teenagers and younger adults. I am at the age where I was there more for the food and the social interaction. It would have been nice if they had found a way to include all of the fair in to the one area instead of having some exhibits at the mall. Overall I did enjoy the experience overall I just feel like it was a bit expensive. Especially since we spent $80 just to park and get in. The entertainment was decent. The food was pretty good from most places. The smoke meat plate was not exactly what we expected it was decent. The nachos were pretty good and a decent value, we really enjoyed the elote with the hot Cheetos, the Boba and the sodas were a let down both were very watery and expensive. Like they went as cheap as they could on the mix. The Mahi mahi fish plate was pretty good just small portions, the poke was really good, the gyro was good very skimpy meat portions. But in the end i knew it was going to good causes so overall a good deal and i got to spend time with my family. The one that I really enjoyed was the kulolo Sunday with the Lilikoi butter. Over all the event felt rushed. But it has not happened in five years so that is understandable.

Super solid luau at the Ritz Carlton!…read more Staying near Kapalua on our latest visit - I decided to surprise wifey with one of the newer luaus on the island, the Tales of the Kapa Moe! Had to make my reservations a few weeks in advance since the luau is only on Tuesdays and Fridays! Some limited, ah?! Taking place at the Ritz newly renovated Aloha Garden Pavilion, such a sight when you walk in! Welcomed by staff and given a fresh flower lei and a stiff cocktail (or TWO) right away! Now that's what I call the Aloha Spirit...quite literally LOL! -Blue Hawaiian -Kapalua Mai Tai (fave of the night, strong & vibrant!) Before going to your assigned seating in the covered pavilion, you can partake in the Hawaiian cultural activities in the lanai, and get your pictures taken underneath the beautiful garden backdrop! Then when you're ready you get escorted to your table for the luau pre-show! I gotta say - the highlight of the night is the luau dinner, pretty swanky! Before they call you up to the buffet line by table, they bring out the whole roasted pig for showing off as it heads to the display line for service! I noticed though that the pig is not made in an underground imu as is the traditional Hawaiian method - it is cooked in a Caja China, which can also produce succulent meat! The buffet is stacked well, and you can go back as your heart desires! So much to eat: Salads -Hawaiian Chopped Salad -Caesar Salad -Kula Beets with Arugula (for you vegans) -Soba Noodle Salad Entrees -Whole Roasted Pig -Macadamia Nut Crusted Fresh Fish Catch -Westside Huli Huli Chicken -North Shore Oahu Garlic Shrimp Sides -Wok Fired Island Vegetables -Local Molokai Sweet Potatoes -Ginger & Soy Steamed Bok Choy -Garlic Mushroom Fried Rice There's even a Build your own Poke Station with ahi and kimchi tako poke and tons of condiments! AND even a Keiki Menu that includes Fried Chicken Tenders and Mac & Cheese! I know this isn't what folks in ancient Hawaiian times ate, but cheee hooo the food overall is ONO! The Kula Beets with Arugula and Soba Noodle salads were faves! Some crazy flavor combos going there and good starters! Cannot go wrong with a poke bowl with your own fixings as an appetizer as well! The Whole Roasted Pig was nice & moist (especially the belly sections), delicious when served with the mu shu buns, poi, pickled vegetables, and hoisin chili sauce. Like basically an Asian taco! The Macadamia Nut Crusted Fresh Fish was delectable too, delicate fish with their mild Thai coconut curry sauce was very good! The North Shore Oahu Garlic Shrimp was liked as well, so much garlic and lemon butter! And what goes well with protein? Why, a heaping serving of Garlic Mushroom Fried Rice of course! More of a modern meal take on the Hawaiian luau, but I ain't mad! I made sure to eat enough for my ancestors HA! After the buffet dinner, relax, digest and get ready for the show. The Tales of the Kapa Moe! Great local host, makes you get interactive too, work off some of that luau food! The show is a lively depiction of a day in the life of the Hawaiian ancestors, showcasing the different tasks of everyone in the village. Many tales to enlighten your senses: *Koʻi Honua - A story of the creation of the islands *Pele - Goddess of the volcano and its molten lava *Kanehekili - God of thunder bringing forth rain to start growth *Laka - Goddess of the forest and all earthly vegetation *Ka I ka hoe - Audience participation chant lesson *Huakaʻi Hele - Migration of our ancestors from the south pacific *Ka wailele o Honokohau - Acrobat in the form of a waterfall *Ae Kakou - Men dance expressing their love for fish and poi *Lānaʻi - The beauty of Lānaʻi displayed as our women dance in a cloud *Moea awakens - Fire finale representing that the fire of our people its heritage will continue to live and burn strong And while you're enjoying the history, don't forget to grab some desserts: -Mochi Tart (must try!) -Mango Pudding -Mango Cheesecake -Kapalua Bar -Macadamia Chocolate Crunch Cake What an experience of a luau, very nuanced! Especially the fire show at the end, super LIT is an understatement! My only note is that this luau is a bit pricey for the 3 hour dinner & show - about $260 per person for Ohana Seating, and about $316 per person for the Ali'i Premium Seating (right near the front row). But if you're a kama'aina don't despair - let them know and you can get 20% off with valid Hawaii ID! Awesome time for wifey & I at the Tales of the Kapa Moe Luau Show! This was us early celebrating our 15th anniversary! Can't go wrong with this luau at the Ritz! AWWWRIGHT!!

Food and service were great, however, the entertainment for the money was not, and in our opinion…read moreit was overpriced. We are a family of 6 (2 adults and 4 middle/high school aged kids) and the total for our family was $1500. (VIP seating would have been more!) For that money the food AND the show should be amazing and we walked away feeling it was not worth the money. At least hold it outside in a more authentic setting and not in an open air pavilion where it's hard to see the stage and what is happening. The professional photographer with complementary family photos was a nice touch.

The Luau was impressive, offering excellent food with a bit of everything on the plate. The show…read morewas quite good, and our server Steven was friendly, enhancing the experience. I highly recommend going.

Everything about this place was amazing! I especially loved how connected the mistress of…read moreceremonies was to her culture. Her passion for teaching about it was apparent. The food was just enough(maybe a little too much) I loved that a little of everything was served. We paid for the premium and it was definitely worth it for us. And the ambiance was beyond my wildest dreams. So so so beautiful. Recommend it 100%

Happened to be in the area on the third Friday of the month while hungry & thinking about what we…read moreshould do for dinner that evening. Not one to turn down the chance to try something new, we headed to Makawao town to check out their town party. The main event happens on Baldwin Avenue where they close off a portion of the street from Komoda Bakery down the whole block. I was delighted to see a bunch of people line dancing, totally reminding me of my years living in Colorado. Where my country music loving people at?! Those were the days. Anywho, I was on a mission to find something to eat, so we didn't really peruse any of the stores, craft, art, clothing vendors etc., but they're there for those that are interested. Food. I just wanted food and that they had, but nothing that really tickled my fancy. If anything, I would've wanted to try Pele's Pizza, but my husband can't eat pizza anymore so I wasn't about to torture him, lol. I think another Friday town party features much much better food and A LOT more choices, but overall it's a-ok. I tried a food truck that I haven't tried previously and we were able to find some seats at the little table area they have set-up rather quickly. On a side note, I saw people walking around with beers so they must sell alcohol somewhere? Not sure where though. I also saw people with ice cream cones and have no clue where they got those either! One thing that did stand out to me at this town party though, which would make it worthy of a return visit, was the entertainment. They had fire dancers in the streets, line dancing, & live bands. Didn't get the name of the band we saw, but they were really good! Parking is a bit harder to find here compared to other town parties, but if you're lucky, you can find a spot in the public parking lot just down the block. Otherwise, I saw some places charging $5 for event parking.

Made the trek up the hill to check it out, only because they recently started to close off a…read moreportion of Baldwin Ave (from Makawao Ave to just past Makawao Steakhouse which is Brewer Rd) to vehicular traffic. I've driven down this road many times but never walked on it and never at night. The atmosphere is very charming. I love the architecture of the buildings and how they light up at night with their quaintness. It reminds me of Main Street USA in Disneyland. FOOD: Not the greatest in terms of quantity. There were 2 food trucks - Kinaole Grill, and Iron Imu BBQ, and a few booths like Badua's crepes, Wow Wow Waffles, Monsoon (Indian), and Al's BBQ Pit. The majority of the vendors can be found at the other Friday events. I was full off of our food from Polli's so I didn't purchase anything on the street. VENDORS: There were a few people selling jewelry and trinkets and majority of the shops were open. ENTERTAINMENT: The band changes monthly - one main stage in middle of the event. BEER GARDEN: Non-existent unfortunately. There is a nice and protected gravel lot that'd be perfect for one! OVERALL: I haven't been to Second Friday Lahaina yet but Third Friday Makawao is definitely in third place behind First Friday Wailuku and Fourth Friday Kihei (confused yet?) in terms of the fun-factor. This place has so much potential and has too many empty spaces. Add a beer garden and more food booths and we'll be long-time friends!

If you missed it ....you missed it! Be sure to mark your calendar for next year. So much fun so…read moremany crafters to visit. And if that isn't enough fantastic entertainment and giveaways. Get there early for the best selections. See you next year!

This year I finally made it to the Made In Maui County Festival. I went with my cousin and we had…read moreso much fun. We already had our eyes on certain vendors so we could not wait. LOCATION: Located at the MACC. We wanted to get there super early on Saturday to park there but we didn't so we parked at War Memorial Stadium and caught one of the free shuttles. We were prepared to buy tickets at the box office but we didn't have to because a nice lady on the shuttle gave us a bunch of free tickets. That was so nice of her. After shopping we were going to eat food from the Food Trucks there but because it was super hot that day, we decided to go somewhere else for lunch. Maybe next year. HIGHLIGHTS: Maui Mules with Pau Vodka, sampling various local treats, Na Koa Brand/Ho'omana Poly Apparel, Moloka'i Bread, Rosebuds , HI Spice Hot Sauce, Maui Olive Company, Bella Vita Apothecary, Maui Lavender & Tea, Upcountry Maui Favorites and Skelefin Studios (Amanda Joy Bowers). There were so many great vendors TIPS: Bring a fan and a big bag/bags for your purchases. Wear a hat too and bring a beverage like we did. OVERALL: So much fun. Got a lot of Christmas shopping done as well as shopping for myself of course. I plan on going every year from now on. Check it out!

Hmmmmmm how to rate.... Well, afterward, my husband and I said it was "mid." So I think 3 stars is…read morefair. Our only other experience with a luau was the Old Lahaina Luau, approx 10 years ago on our honeymoon, so I am using that for comparison. At that time, everyone told us the OLL was the best in Maui. In comparison, the Maui Nui Luau doesn't quite hold up. First impressions are everything, and the plastic tables and chairs don't give off an upscale "you're in for a treat" vibe. The buffet food was completely decent. I enjoyed everything on my plate. It wasn't spectacular, but I thought it was good. If you have picky children, they might not want anything other than bread rolls and dessert. It's nice having an open bar, but if you're not a drinker, it might be hard to get your money's worth at any luau. Entertainment was cool--before the dancing starts, there's a few activities mainly geared towards kids (temp tattoos, stamped bookmarks, etc) as well as some vendors set up on the sides. During the show, the MC was good without being over the top. The fire dancers were obviously the best. Being able to see fire dancers was the only reason we chose not to go to OLL again, because I thought our son would enjoy this part the best. All-in-all, if you have a picky eater, non-drinkers, or aren't quite sure if you'd get the value of a luau, you could skip this one (and probably skip any other one, too). They're extremely expensive. It was not worth the nearly $600 price tag.

While still on my Hawaii Maui vacation, I had to take the time to write this 5 star review…read more Luau - Let's start with what it means and is. A luau is a Hawaiian tradition, where people gather to celebrate and eat with entertainment. This also means in our own understanding like a "wedding", "baby shower", and/or "birthday". Having been to a dozen of luau's, I feel a compelling need to review from a perspective of one who appreciates the arts and culture. Let's start off with price - This is by far a VERY affordable luau. You're not just paying for a Buffett but the entertainment is included. They literally entertain you for 3 full hours. If you're bougie and hate waiting don't be a cheapskate and pay extra to be preferred. If you can't afford to pay extra for preferred then get there early, be the first in line to get seated at the tables behind the preferred seating. Is there a wait, yes, if you're not preferred you wait. That is typically how preferred and VIP works. I paid for the preferred because I don't like to wait and yes, I like to be front and center and I like the perks of being "first" so I paid for the extra service, well worth every extra penny. Staff: 5 stars EVERYONE was extremely nice! IFKYK: If I had read the reviews first I might not have paid to come to the show, these reviews are a mix of good/bad but more bad than good and I'll have to admit Yelpies on this one got it WRONG! Let's just say, more people are inclined to write a negative review before a positive review. It's almost as if the "negative crew" left their sentiments. But honestly it's fairly priced, weather is the weather, it's Hawaii, plan to be hot, in rain, they perform rain or shine. Is it crowded, YES, it's just not going to be just you and your 3 kids and wife. Think of church, if you go, a big ole crowded church! Are there long lines? Yes, but they go extremely fast. Can you experience a bigger show elsewhere? Absolutely you can, if you're going to Oahu and can visit the cultural center, then do that experience or even on the Big Island but for Maui, this is a fantastic experience! Let's get into it! It's a Buffet and given its Hawaiian theme this foodie gives it a solid 10! Food was full of flavor, a little cold but we had windy rainy weather which is no fault to them. Overall, a Maui vacation is going to cost 10k easy (that's cheap)! Add 2-3k for entertainment while you're here and enjoy this beautiful experience! Kudos to the entertainment crew, grateful to see how much love, passion and heart put into this show. Mahalo nui loa for continuing to share the legacy of beautiful Hawaii!

We visited a little before 5 on a Friday in February, the only cart that seemed to be open at the…read moretime was Ohana Thai Maui, but that was no problem because Thai food was what we came for and they did not disappoint! We had our food within 10 minutes of ordering and it was delicious! Location behind Foodland was great, got dropped off by rideshare in front of foodland and picked up a few groceries for our trip after enjoying our meal. Even had a bit of a view of the mountains to enjoy from where we sat. Definitely would eat here again.

We met Q on our second day in Maui after MANY recommendations for breakfast at 808 Grindz. The…read morerecommendations proved above and beyond our expectations - this was the best breakfast we've ever had and some of the best Loco Moco on the island. Thank you Maca and everyone at 808 Grindz. We went there again today and it certainly won't be the last time on this trip. As we were finishing our breakfast, Q came over to introduce himself and before we knew it we were talking like old friends. He shared his vision and plan for the Food Truck Park. Currently, the park houses 2 food trucks (808 Grindz and Cinnamon Rollz). Let me tell you - those cinnamon rolls are made with so much love. Allura is a genius bakery chef. Q plans to have 12 trucks featuring Sushi, Thai Food, Pizza, Tacos, and Noodles along with live music and private event space. As he spoke to us, we could feel his passion for what the park will become; an Oasis in Lahaina featuring something for everyone and backed by the Mana of the people and culture of Maui. Our trip is only half over, but we will be back again before it ends. We can't wait to come back ASAP to experience the reality of Qs Food Truck Park. We know it will surpass all expectations! Theres something to be said for taking such a simple encounter and having it turn into love. Thanks Q, Maca, and Allura, and the rest of the Ohana for making us feel like Ohana. Love and blessings for Lahaina and Maui.