The event ranges from wine tastings, cooking demos and dinners by guest chefs over a 5-day span…read more This review is for the finale, which is the Seafood Festival. The event was held on the Ritz Carlton Kapalua's Beach House Lawn, an intimate and gorgeous oceanfront parcel with a grass lawn, bar & restrooms. The food booths surround the main tent which houses the wine vendors. There are a few high-tops to rest your drinks & plates on, and a few tables with chairs. This is a very "mingle-y" event, so you're not prone to plopping down and claiming stake at a table. The entertainment stage is near the entrance with a small area for standing & dancing. There are tons of wines to sample, as well as Absolut & Bombay Sapphire mixed drink stations, and Maui Brewing Company beer for people like me who just go for the beer & the food. Not a fan of wine. The 2012 event featured 14 different restaurants mainly from the west side of Maui. There were shrimp-a-plentiful, as well as fish prepared in a variety of ways, eel, clams & lobster dishes. There's also a dessert booth & coffee station. Overall: A great way to taste different wines, sample foods from a few of Maui's restaurants, and enjoy good entertainment, but leave the kids at home (even though they are welcome.)

My first time to the Kapalua Wine & Food Festival. It was an incredible journey of epicurean…read moreexcellence!! This is a 5 day event, which includes different activities. We attended the Seafood Festival, held on the oceanfront Beach House Lawn at the Ritz Carlton. The grand finale features Maui's top chefs. There were winemakers showcasing their wines, as well as beer and spirits. Fourteen of Maui's top restaurants were there and I tried everything (some twice!): Capische? Fleetwood's On Front Street Gannon's Honu/Mala Hula Grill I'o & Pacific'o Japengo Kahana Grill Kai Sushi Bar Makena Resort Restaurants Maui Culinary Academy Roy's Restaurant Star Noodle The Terrace Chef-Crafted Especially loved Kahana Grill and Fleetwood's On Front Street dishes. Star Noodle was a huge hit, there was a super long line for just noodles, but they were awesome! Come prepared to be on your feet. There are a few standing tables sprinkled about the place, and a handful of sit down tables. While you are not really supposed to camp out, and should be walking around drinking, eating and mingling, all the tables were snapped up and occupied for the entire evening. I was fine with that, I had wines and food to try and didn't want to miss anything! Another thing to be aware of is that they will shuttle you from the lobby of the hotel down to "near" the Beach House Lawn. From that point on, its a walk down the golf cart path. They did have a couple of golf carts that carted people to the line that was formed at the entrance of the tents. Afterwards, same thing . . its quite a hike (and challenge, especially after a few bottles of wine) to get to the shuttle point, so be sure to wear proper footwear! Fun event, planning to go next year!

The Maui Fair (a.k.a. "Maui County Fair" growing up) is a childhood favorite for residents and…read moresupports the local community from the Thursday parade/night to the rest of the 3 full days. It's so nice that our Maui County continues this yearly tradition. Last year was so special when it returned after the Covid shutdown. It allows local artists, musical and vendors alike, organizations and the people of Maui County (including Molokai this year!) to get together to support one another. My favorite childhood memories have always been going to the Auditorium (now located at the QKC mall since the auditorium is closed) to see me and all my school friend's drawings/art and other local farmers, photographers and artists, to riding the Musical Express with my friends (and crush haha), to playing in the Games tent spending all of dad's money and winning a small stuffed animal, to of course, enjoying my Shoyu Chicken plate and Waffle Cake Delight! This year it was nice to enjoy the last day a bit earlier around 3-4 pm. We got stadium parking for $5 and conveniently walked to the Gate closest to the livestock and enjoyed seeing the award winning animals from the goats, sheep, hamsters, bunnies, & chickens to name a few. I was sad that the Swings, Bumper cars, Ferris Wheel weren't working/or available since that would be the only rides I would've gone on but...it was still a lot of fun. We got to enjoy the Vendors tent and I finally bought myself a short brim Papale (thanks to the Papale Guy on Oahu) and some jewelry as well. The Games tent was fun but of course could get addictive and expensive if you wanted a particular Pikachu like I did lol. You can reload an EK Fernandez card OR you can conveniently download the EK app and just reload as you go. I probably spent a good $40+ and that was playing maybe 5-6 games total. The food tent was delish but YES...kinda expensive. I mean we live on Maui. All the plates probably ranged from $18-20 now and drinks even water was maybe $5-7+. My friend was upset that the Maui Fair website clearly stated water stations being setup so we all brought our empty flasks and after asking many volunteers even first aid, we came to the conclusion there was no water stations. At least the First Aid ladies had a huge cooler of bottled water and spared us 2 otherwise, you'll have to pay maybe $5-6 for a water bottle. Overall, not completely the same experience and of course a tad more expensive but it's to be expected since we're in 2026 lol. The nostalgic experience is still the same when you enjoy it with your friends and family. The Maui Fair is always what you make of it! You could just enjoy yourself without breaking bank and have a chill time too! Too bad no drone show on Sunday but we got to skank small kine by the entertainment tent before heading home.

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.

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!

I've been hearing a lot of great things about Kihei Fourth Friday and finally decided to go last…read moreweek for the first time. This fourth Friday celebration is bigger than the other Friday celebrations on island. They close down the end of Lipoa St. and have a ton of food options from food trucks to brick & mortar restaurants/cafes, one of which hosts a beer garden. The food truck lot behind Azeka's is opened as well which adds even more to the lineup. They also have a lot of different vendors from candies to apparel and different stores in the marketplace. They also provide a variety of entertainment throughout the night and you'll find people singing and dancing and just having a lot of fun. When we got there we immediately checked out all the different food options. There are so many that we couldn't decide! Naturally, we did like foodies do and went with multiple different vendors. We got a taco assortment from Horhitos Mobile Taqueria, some steak from Teppanyaki 2 go and for dessert we had soft-serves from Aloha Kettle Corn. The steak was a bust and definitely regret that decision. The tacos were pretty good, but they didn't have the one that I was hoping for. Aloha Kettle Corn, they just have the best self-serve ever so that's definitely always a good choice. There are tables scattered throughout the street so we quickly found a table and sat down. While we ate there was a singer playing in the background which was nice. If you're scared of bugs, don't sit too close to the street lights because there are A LOT of them. Overall, we had a really good time and I would definitely recommend checking it out if you get a chance. There is something for everyone and that's a nice option for something to do on a Friday night. For the tourists, this is a great way to get a little taste of different cuisines if you're short on time!

So glad this place has been around for a while. We've been here twice about 7 years apart. It's…read moregreat with kids with the activities, entertainment and food. Love supporting local businesses. Come early to get good parking.

I had heard the storied history of the Kona Brewers Festival since moving here, but never had the…read moreopportunity to go. I'm glad I waited as this year, I had a weekend filled with beer! Arguably, this is the best beer festival to which I've ever been! The festival is primarily a charity event, with all the proceeds going to local and Big Island foundations and groups. It's all volunteer run, from the set-up, clean-up, staff, and pourers; they're working for free and don't get to join in the fun! The festival is located at the King Kamehameha Hotel, a Courtyard Marriott right on the Kona bay. The beach is right in the middle of the festival and provides a beautiful foreground, while the mountains and trees provide a picturesque landscape beyond. For 2019, the weather was overcast and kind of cool, yet humid and hot at the same time. I was glad to wear sunscreen and a hat, you'll need them in the afternoon sun! The festival offers various ticket choices from the high tier Connoisseur's Lounge, to VIP, and General Admission. There are also so many complimentary or discounted levels for groups that assist in the planning of the event. The Connoisseur's Lounge includes an extra hour of special tastings and food in the hotel's restaurant area with music and air conditioning. Their badge was also a piece of koa as a keepsake. VIP was allowed onto the grounds up to an hour early, but no tastings were allowed until the start of the event (basically a skip-the-line deal). The General Admission line snaked around the pier in the hot sun, but people looked happy to be coming in. The festival was arranged around the beach with brewery tents interspersed with food, merchandise, and information booths. All ticket tiers got a wristband with 10 tickets to try 10 beers, more tokens could be purchased for $2 each, again with all proceeds going to charity. Food was unlimited, which means it went fast! All the volunteers were extremely friendly and having a great time interacting with the crowd. It was very crowded, but easy to walk around without feeling cramped. The main stage at the end of the pier had live musical acts and the Trash Fashion Show among other draws. Restrooms and portapotties were everywhere, so that was less of a worry than I thought beforehand. It was fun talking to random people, trying new beers from new breweries, and munching on delicious local foods. For anyone that can, be sure to attend this festival. Organization is second to none! Mahalo to the organizers for providing the homebrew judges with discounted passes!

This was a well-organized, albeit crowded event - I totally understand its popularity: what's not…read moreto love? 30 plus brewers from across the US pouring their best brews, unlimited food samples from dozens of vendors across the island, and to top it off, it all takes place at a picturesque setting right on the water in Kailua-Kona Town, on the lawn of the King Kamehameha Hotel. Online ticket sales sold within 15 minutes and I ended up having to go to Kona Brewery's location in Hawaii Kai (Oahu) to purchase our tickets the same afternoon. I'm glad I did because they sold out completely later that evening! Upon arriving at the event, there was a long line extending across the pier to enter the grounds of the event. Thankfully, the line moved swiftly and we collected our souvenir tasting mug and fork/spoon for tasting. The event aimed to be 100% eco-friendly, thus the reusable utensil, mug and food was being served on either ti leaves or compostable plates/bowls. Brewers' tents and food tents were scattered throughout the grounds with an impressive array of food and drink to last FOUR HOURS! I could barely stand by the end of the event! By the time the last couple of hours of the event rolled around just a couple of the most popular brews were tapped out and several food vendors were down to their last, although by this time I think everyone was stuffed to the gills and drink tickets were waning. The wristband you are given upon entry had 10 tasting tickets, once those were exhausted and you still want to drink more? Tasting tokens were being sold for $2 each. This year, Sig Zane designed the logo for the festival and I thought I'd wait til later to purchase a shirt to commemorate the event, which turned out to be a bad idea! The popular sizes and colors sold out quick, so no t-shirt for me to wear once and shove in the depths of my drawer forever. Hm... that's actually a great thing! I'm already stoked for next year!

Held on the first Saturday of March this year, the event blocked out the entire main street of…read moreWaikiki. I came at night for the cooler weather. Tons of food vendors, crafts, goods that were sold. The variety of food was extensive with long lines at most. Fun, vibrant energy at this event.

Another great street festival on the main drag of Waikiki. Lots of food and cool giftsread more

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!

A night in Kaka'ako is always a fun place to explore, and just be entertained!…read more The Honolulu Night Market at Our Kaka'ako is indeed a fabulous adventure into the biggest street/block party filled to the brim with all things local...food, retail and culture. I've been to so many and each and every one is very unique where you can find either fashion runway stage, live street art, or even a dance night in the barn. I just love the vibe SALT and surrounding Our Kaka'ako brings with the vibrant art we're so blessed to have and this particular night (November 19th) there was actually much more shopping just perfect for the holidays and the party went further down to Ya-ya's. Tonight I was fortunate to have gone after work so I kept it short but found some awesome treats. Some straw toppers to add to my holiday gift giving and some cheesecake cups (OG, Strawberry and Cookie Butter) of course I got one of each to share...ate the Strawberry which of course omg was yummy!! Not too sweet as the Strawberries was just perfect as I tried to get an even scoop of it all in every bite. Walked further down and honestly wasn't in the mood to wait too long for anything found something that would just exactly work for me. Ya-Ya's Chophouse & Seafood and tonight they had two items - Steak Kebabs - Fat Fried Rice with TAB (aka Thick Ass Bacon lol!) I seriously wanted the fried rice but thought that the Steak Kebabs was more sensible for me personally and it came with two kebabs each fully loaded with steak, mushrooms, peppers and onions with a huge scoop of rice! So many options I really was considering including Henna from Henna Happens, Birria Tacos from Dolce Vita, Corn from Corn Onoz Hawaii but though there's always a next time yes!?! I remember pre-pandemic Yelp had a booth here and hoping as things return to normalcy that we'll see it back again one day (hint hint!) Absolutely love this Honolulu Night Market as it offers so many cultural coolness that you can't find anywhere else! Thank you!

There were only about 4-5 food trucks when I visited, and it felt small. Around 6 PM, the area had…read morevery few people. There was some live music, but it seemed more like a quick stop for tourists rather than a real night market. I didn't try any food because the atmosphere wasn't appealing, so I left quickly.

Lots of food options. Excellent entertainment. The people that attended were in all good spirits. I…read morewitnessed a very loving community. The set up was excellent. Lots of space to enjoy the entertainment. I really enjoyed the night and look forward to attending next year's celebration.

I look forward to this party each year because I love to try all the food they have. I love being…read moreable to try smaller portions so that I can try more things. This year was not as good as previous years but I think it's cause of COVID. The ambiance is great! Some of the lines were long but for me, that's not a deal breaker. I take my dogs and so do a lot of people. Mine are in a stroller cause my pup is loud.