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Wailuku First Friday

4.4 (18 reviews)
InexpensiveFestivals, Music Venues
Closed 6:00 pm - 9:00 PM

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Good food, good music, great fun!
Sue S.

If your trip to Maui includes the first Friday of the month, make sure you visit "Wailuku First Friday"! 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!

Shoyu Chicken (Uptown Chevron) - VN
Vince N.

3.5 stars. We've been coming to this event nearly every month for the past 4 years, but ever since December 2015, we took an almost 6 month hiatus due to changing life situations. The first and original Maui Friday event is still going on, but unfortunately not going on strong. I'm not sure what the problem is, but food vendor quantity has dwindled significantly, which means selection and variety have fallen as well, which results in less attendance overall. There are some loyal, original vendors still present such as Uptown Chevron, Asian Star, Saigon Cafe, T and J's, Kettle Corn King, Sumo Dogs, Maui Samosas, and the pastele people. Recent newcomers like Al's BBQ Pit, Three's Food Truck, and Maui Gyros are hanging on as well. Unfortunately absent are Badua's Crepes, the garlic noodle people, and any form of burger sales. BEER GARDEN: The beer garden is still the highlight of the event, for our gang anyway. It's our time to have a few brews, eat, and mingle with others. To be honest, there is no restaurant or bar on the isle that has this laid back vibe that offers outdoor ambiance with food, drinks, and entertainment all-in-one. The posters say their hours are from 5:00 pm - 9:30 pm but they never open on time. This last time we went, (June 2016) they didn't open until close to 6:15pm. They had a DJ playing a mix of genres though the poster stated "disco music." Also on this one particular night they did a special with craft beers, adding 3 types of canned beer, which tasted horrible to some of us, along with the usual Stella Artois but minus Shock Top and Bud Light. Wine is also available. ENTERTAINMENT: They still have the main stage near the Maui Thing store, and the smaller stage under the banyan tree. The acts rotate, and some new ones are brought in as well. CRAFT BOOTHS: I'm not a shopper of these but from walking down Market Street, there aren't as many as before. FOOD: Shoyu Chicken - Uptown Chevron - This wasn't just some boring old shoyu chicken. These were some awesomely delicious skin-on, bone-in thighs that were super tender and full of flavor. It came with a scoop of rice which I asked them to pour some of the broke-da-mouth drippings over which they happily did, and a scoop of some pretty legit potato macaroni salad. You can also pick this up at their food mart. Highly recommended. Steak & Scallops - Teppanyaki 2 Go - Yay, finally a new vendor! My $14 plate of well-done, thick cut cubes of steak were really tasty, and came with two thick seared scallops. For $3 I got garlic fried rice that wasn't garlicky at all, but did have bits of sautéed onions and Portuguese sausage mixed in which brought up the flavor level. Nice addition to FF. OVERALL: Smaller in every possible way. We'll still patronize but not monthly.

Brent H.

Wailuku's First Friday is held on Market Street in Wailuku. The road is shut down, and the streets are filled with locals, tourists, vendors, merchants, and entertainers. It was wonderful to see Wailuku come to life. Today there was live music on two stages. Both featured very talented entertainers (I missed the names but I got my hips moving). The streets had festive lights, and we stopped by a few vendors and stores. The food trucks there lined up next to Mystery Maui building. I saw flatbread pizza, gyros, tacos, hawaiian plate, Opakapaka, poi mochi, Thai food, Indian food, Kettlecorn, cotton candy, and Saigon Cafe. We already ate so we shared hot Poi Mochi. We stopped by Green Ti for essential oils, picked up our Festival of Aloha buttons, checked out Maui Thing and supported the Wailuku Community Association by buying an insulated bottle, and checked out the local vendors. Wai Bar is available if you want alcohol. We had a lot of fun, but wish there were more vendors to check out. Parking is tight so be patient and don't get crazy. The area can be a little rough so go in groups and be aware of your surroundings.

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13 years ago

Always a fun time. Great food vendors and the music is good. Don't miss this monthly celebration.

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Review Highlights - Wailuku First Friday

I stopped into Ceci Chennault Studio featuring Aloha Maui Creations and purchased the cutest "Maui" pillow!

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Willie Kahaial'i

Willie Kahaial'i

4.9(7 reviews)
0.4 mi
$

Aloha let's talk about Hawaii's legendary Entertainer. Uncle…read moreWillie K. In our opinion Uncle Willie K, Is the most talented Entertainer in Hawaii today. He can sing, he can play the ukulele, he can play guitar. He can sing Hawaiian, he can sing opera he can sing the blues, he can sing Rock. He plays with his guitarist Jerry, and he plays with his drummer Chris. This Trio can entertain anywhere in the world and make people go crazy and happy all at the same time. If you have a chance to catch one of Uncle Willie K's performances you won't be disappointed. Uncle Willie K is also a wonderful Storyteller and you will learn so much about Hawaiian history Hawaiian music and Hawaiiana itself. Every month Uncle Willie plays at the Blue Note in Waikiki. Hugs Wes n Wanda Anzai Happy Healthy Hawaii The Institute of Advanced Anti-Aging 808-354-8659

The plan was set. As part of my trip, I had tickets to a "luau" type dinner and show with about…read more500 other people. The show was Willie K. Being totally out of touch with the Hawaiian music scene I thought..."Ut oh. Another Don Ho impersonator." I figured I was was going to eat as fast as I could so that when the show started I could slip out before "Tiny Bubbles" started... The dinner was actually pretty good at the Marriott. As I was finishing my dessert, the lights dimmed for the show to start....and I glanced around picking out my escape route. What came on stage was a huge bulky Samoan with hair that spread out 3 feet in diameter.. As he said in his subsequent monolog, if you were on a bus and he boarded it, you would get off the bus and wait for the next one. As he talked to warm up the audience he was actually pretty funny. Then he started to play. WOW. He played the guitar with a bass player and drummer. That was it. Yet, his playing filled the song....strumming and playing solos that seemed to be simultaneous and continuous. He was doing riffs with full cords that most guitarists would have trouble with single notes. He played a range of pop, oldies, folk, country. His solos were a match to any professional musician on the circuit today. In the middle of his set, he then said he was an out of the box musician.....and certainly he looked the part. But then.....he started to sing opera with a modern arrangement. Yes....this was way out of the box......and his voice was impeccable. A purist would probably argue his voice wasnt the best that the Met had to offer, but I have sat through enough operas to know he would at least qualify to audition at the Met. His 1.5 hour set just whizzed by. His skills as a guitarist were some of the best I have ever seen, bar none (I was an usher at the Greek Theater for 3 years and saw the world's best musicians there) His voice had had incredible range in range and in timbre. He could have a very pure operatic voice or a raspy Joe Cockerish twang. At the end of his performance, the whole audience was captivated and yelling "HANA HO." No...that isn't a Hugh Grant saying but what I was told was that it was Hawaiian for "ENCORE." If you are planning a trip to Hawaii and have some flexibility of dates and where to stay....and if you like great entertainment, see if you can attend a Wille K concert. He is that good. Looking at his bio later, I found he has backed up, played with or opened some of the biggest names in the business. One of his songs was Grammy nominated which didn't surprise me in tne the least. Well....my night didn't go according to plan....and I was glad. I would have stayed until dawn if he chose to play that long. I was fortunate to see such a great entertainer. HANA HO.

Guava Tree Bar & Grill - Fried rice and mochiko chicken

Guava Tree Bar & Grill

4.5(51 reviews)
1.6 mi

I almost donʻt want to share! I find it difficult to find really good food without spending a lot…read moreof money. Guava Tree Bar & Grill had amazing local-style food at reasonable prices and pleasant service. I can see this place becoming a solid, local establishment like Tiffanyʻs or Marcoʻs. Folks, this place should be party of the ʻServing Maui for 30 yearsʻ club! I was here for a private event. The place is cute. Small, charming and loads of potential. The staff was super friendly and welcoming. Alrhough their wine selection was limited and a bit uneven (Sutter Home but then a J. Lohr for chardonnay), their ginger ale selection was delicious! The food was incredible! Tender, fall apart pork slices, covered with savory, brown gravy; crisp, yet juicy, chicken katsu with a bite of ginger; toothsome chopped steak, tender mushrooms and flavorful pepper slices. Perfectly cooked rice. Yummmmmmm. The mac salad is better than many, but lacked a little tang. Overall, the food was so good that I looked up their hours. Iʻd definitely return.

Came here for a private party. It's a great place to hold a small event for a special birthday,…read moregraduation or any celebration. They have a stage area for a DJ or Band. There is a bar area if guest want to order alcoholic beverages. The food was good and service friendly. I would recommend if you're looking for a place indoors to hold a party.

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Guava Tree Bar & Grill
Guava Tree Bar & Grill - $18  |  Shoyu Poke w/Maui Onions, Sesame |  06.20.25

$18 | Shoyu Poke w/Maui Onions, Sesame | 06.20.25

Guava Tree Bar & Grill - Front of restaurant

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Front of restaurant

Wailuku First Friday - festivals - Updated May 2026

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