Fantabootylooussss tiara of lip syncing Drag Queens who strut their stuff for the crowd and are…read moreworshipped and adored :) Amazingly inclusive, LGBTQ friendly, everyone friendly night at DPM. The Queens, every single one of them, sashaying n shimmery, glittery n glam, extravagant n outrageous, classy n sassy, diamante laden and booty strutting, doing the splits and Beyonceying, da bomb music, wigs, sparkle, drama, girrrllllll SO MUCH FUN!!! Get there early if you want a seat or pay extra for the small VIP section (which also has it's own bar area), plus a lot of Queens enter from this vantagepoint. Drinks weren't as expensive as I thought they would be, and luckily for me (the nominated driver) they had a good selection of non alcoholic options, including cocktails and beers, as well as juices n sodas. Staff were friendly and professional, bouncers fair and bar staff friendly and quick. Free parking in the evening. For a small venue this place rocks, and I"m looking forward to watching the Queens perform a Halloween scene, and also going to see an EDC show, or maybe some reggae in future.

Da Playground Maui really sets the tone the moment you walk in. The place is colorful, organized,…read moreand gives off such a welcoming energy. You can feel right away that it's a safe and inclusive space, definitely LGBTQ+ friendly from the start. The bartenders greet you with a smile and a big aloha super attentive and warm. Drinks are on point too! The Margarita is a home run, poured heavy (if that's your style, you'll love it). The Lemon Drop is smooth and refreshing, almost too easy to drink because you can barely taste the alcohol so it's dangerous in the best way. Their branding logo with the rainbow lip bite is powerful. Everything about this place feels intentional, fun and inviting. The show itself was perfect. The way the performers engage with the crowd was amazing and pure talent from the heart. The outfits are bold, creative and absolutely stunning, adding to the power of the show. The crowd is incredible, going absolutely wild, screaming and of course letting out those Cheehoos that lift the energy even higher. This has to be the longest review I've ever written, but it's worth it. A place and experience like this deserves every word. The atmosphere is lively, colorful, and just makes you want to settle in, let loose and have a good time :) Definitely will be coming back!

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.

A small market with limited, but great, crafts and artists selection…read more The lot was huge and the vendors were VERY widely spaced so that the lot looks mostly empty. Very good for the COVID-conscious though. We found parking on the street.

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%

This is a private botanical garden near the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. It's easy to get here as…read morewell. Admission is $10 for visitors (which may be expensive unless you love plants), and thankfully free for kama'aina. It's not a large area, but it's filled with Hawaiian native plants. Many of them aren't the palm trees and plumeria you'd be expecting; these are the real ones, mostly hearty scrub type plants, plus many varieties of taro, breadfruit, and other staples. They had a nice variety of flowers. Parts of the garden are very sunny and hot, so dress accordingly. There are also shaded areas under trees and pavilions. They also have a clean restroom. It's worth a visit if you're a fan of flora and Hawaiian culture.

Dedicated to native Hawaiian costal and dry forest plants, the Maui Nui Botantical Gardens is…read morewithin (long) walking distance (under 2 miles) from the Kahului Cruise Port. It's collection started in the 1970s and once was a site for a zoo (which closed in 1997). Our party of four spent an early afternoon here, taking an Uber (got unlucky and hit surge pricing of $35) from a takeout lunch spot. The caretaker (who took our admission price of $10 per non-resident) was super nice, explaining how there is an app that one can download and can then use without internet to hear audio commentary on many of the plants in the collection. There is a modern bathroom building in the same area, along with a place to refill your water bottles. One can probably walk through the entire garden in about an hour if going fast, 2 hours if taking one's time and reading/listening. There are plenty of shaded places to sit, and because it wasn't too crowded, we never felt hurried. My favorite places were where they had the agricultural plants like taro, sweet potato, banana, and sugar cane (many varieties). They also had a small grove of coconut trees, cordoned off to prevent unfortunate accidents from falling ripe coconuts. They did have some flowering plants, including a hibiscus. But you wouldn't come here for that; instead its to learn about the plants native to Hawaii and pick up a bit of history along the way.

We attended the 1st Makawao Night Market on Friday July14th and I'm so glad we got to go. We…read morearrived at 5:15 pm and the place was packed. We drove into the parking grass area of the arena parking and paid an admission fee of 5.00 per car. We have handicap parking so we parked close to the entrance, perfect! We walked in and was amazed by the st up that they had. Everything was set up with vendors and food trucks. They had many of things to purchase. To many cute things. We knew that Waiwaiolani were there so we decided to hit them up before they sell out of some cute stuff. Boy did she have a line at the clubhouse. But the line moved pretty fast. As to where we bought so many cute things. I think everyone was happy that upcountry had this event going on. It was nice to see many people there spending they're money with smiling faces on. I was very happy with the person who put this event on she did an amazing job! We can't wait for the next one to happen in August. If you're ever in the Makawao area head up on Olinda Road to the Oskie Rice Arena they just might have an event going on. Remember ladies bring your cowgirl boots so your feet doesn't get dirty(hint hint you're not actually in the Arena, just from the grass. Hey make sure to follow them on Instagram so you will know when the night markets happening next it's the " makawaonightmarket"!

Our Ohana had missed out on the first Summer rodeo of the year here on Maui but we made it around…read moreto this next one. Which was as good as any! We went to support our extended Paniolo Ohana from Maui. The vendors came through with Amazing products for purchasing & The array of foods were just what this rodeo brought in. We were excited to see one of the food trucks made Pupu style foods like lomi O'io raw fish & pulehu smoked tako mix with limu. So many varieties to choose from. The Bull bash has always been one of our favorite things to watch at the rodeo & Especially our Na keiki O Maui paniolo's riding them sheep's. Just Amazingly Fun! ;)

What a great venue this was! We were here for a concert. I'd purchased a parking pass prior and…read morebecause we got there early enough, we found the perfect spot for us. The check-in process was easy and well coordinated. There were different levels of general admission tickets: 18 and younger off to the left side, I think meet the band off to the other side, and preferred and general admission for 21 and over, which was our group. The sections were well posted and clearly cordoned off. In the open area, there was a vendor for beverages. There were also Porta potty style restrooms. I appreciated that a group of them were labeled for women and another for men. Washing stations outside for both. In our area, we were able to be right up against the barricade, so we had excellent viewing. The area in front of us was preferred. The area behind us sloped upward and at the top area there were bleachers set up for folks to have a seat. Otherwise, it was standing room only. That was perfect for us as it gave us space to dance in! The sound system was fantastic! Speakers were positioned well, loud enough for all to hear, and clarity was strong. It was not so loud that it was punishing to the ear drums, and we could enjoy singing and hearing those around us as well. Stage visibility was good: not quite centered, but nothing really obscuring our view. No shade cover here, but the breezes were refreshing and the temps were perfect once the sun set. Exiting was well guided and traffic flowed smoothly. So glad we were able to see a fave local band while we were here at MACC!

Set aside an evening for a concert or play at the MACA. This upscale venue features local acts as…read morewell as symphonies, broadway and Hawaiian performances. There is also a gallery on the grounds that is currently showcasing several Japanese paper craft artists. It is an amazing exhibit and well worth an hour or so of your day. Admission to the gallery is free. Free parking. Double highly recommend!

My first taro fest in many years. This weekend we were in here for a wedding so we headed to the…read moretaro fest the next day. It was a hot and muggy morning. We got here at 9 when it first started and this place was packed. We couldn't even find parking nearby, so we parked up the street and took a walk down to the back park. Started if with the vendors they're selling arts and crafts, so many to choose from. They had a lot of food to to choose from something different at the tents. Then we sat under the tent and enjoyed the entertainment. Then the rain came it poured for a bit so many people came under the tent. It was a fun and exciting day. People are very friendly here. I needed a bowl for my dog to drink water and a nice guy gave me a bowl from his booth. I was very grateful

This was my first visit to the Taro Fest but definitely not my last…read more It takes place at Hana Ball Park. Parking is challenging but not impossible. The event runs from 9a-5p. There's entertainment, arts & crafts, a sort of mini-trade show, and of course food! The main star of the show is the taro. They have demonstrations on how the plant is prepared in many ways for food. FOOD: Taro Seafood Chowder Similar to a squid luau dish. Lightly flavored with a coconut-based soup, luau leaves, chunks of taro, shredded chicken, potatoes and carrots. Needed more salt IMO. Pokē Balls Chunks of unsalted ahi pokē wrapped in a cake noodle and deep fried. Drizzled with a mild wasabi cream sauce (even I could handle it being a wasabi hater) and orange-colored cream sauce. Had it not been for the cream drizzles, it would've been flavorless. Maybe if the ahi was seasoned it would've tasted better. Or even use tako instead of ahi. A bit pricey at $10 for 2 balls. Apple Snails Similar to escargots, they're farmed from the taro patch. I was so excited to eat this again as I haven't eaten them in years. Again, the preparation was very light on flavor. I believe they sautéed them just in its natural broth because there was no flavor other than the snail and earthy taro patch flavor. It was delish but wish I had some garlic-shoyu mixture to dip them in. There are tons of other foods to try, but I like to try things I can't get everywhere. TIP: Bring an umbrella because Hana can bake you during the day, as well as some salt and shoyu as the sodium content at most food booths are very, very low.