Hawaii Food & Wine Festivals 2026 — Complete Calendar

Hawaii's food festival calendar is, to be honest, underrated. Mainland food writers always frame Hawaii as a place for "Pacific Rim cuisine" or "Hawaiian regional" and stop there. But the local festival scene is something else — multi-week chef collaborations, single-ingredient celebrations (the Onion Festival, the Mango Festival, the Spam Festival, yes really), and small-island wine + beer festivals where you'll meet the actual farmer or brewer. Here's the full 2026 calendar of what's worth your time. ## Big-deal annual festivals (book early) ### Hawaii Food & Wine Festival — late October / early November (statewide) **The biggest culinary event in the state.** Two to three weeks across all islands. Visiting James Beard-winning chefs paired with Hawaii's own. Tickets are not cheap ($175-$300 per event). Famous evenings sell out months ahead. Format: each night is a different themed dinner, often beachfront. The Cuisines of the Sun in Kona, the South Shore Sunset Soirée in Wailea, the Hawaiian Airlines Presents in Honolulu. **Book by:** Mid-summer for the marquee events. ### Maui Onion Festival — May (Whaler's Village, Kāʻanagpali, Maui) A festival dedicated to the Maui sweet onion. Sounds ridiculous, but Maui sweet onions are genuinely world-class (low-sulfur, sweet enough to eat raw). Cooking demos, onion eating contest (yes), local restaurants doing onion-focused menus all weekend. Free admission to most events. ### Kona Brewers Festival — March (Kailua-Kona, Big Island) Big Island's craft beer scene is small but excellent. Saturday afternoon festival on the beach at the Courtyard King Kamehameha. ~50 breweries from across Hawaii + mainland. Tickets ~$70. Proceeds support local nonprofits. ### Aloha Festivals — September (statewide, multi-week) Not strictly a food festival, but the food vendors and cultural foods are a huge part of it. [See current Aloha Festivals events →](/holiday/aloha-festivals) ## Single-ingredient / single-cuisine festivals ### Spam Jam — late April (Waikīkī, Oʻahu) Hawaii eats more Spam per capita than anywhere on Earth. The Waikīkī Spam Jam is a one-day street festival on Kalākaua Avenue. Real Honolulu restaurants compete with creative Spam dishes — Spam musubi sliders, Spam ramen, Spam cheesecake (genuinely good, somehow). **Free admission.** Massive turnout. Plan to walk. ### Mango Jam — July (Honolulu, Oʻahu) Backyard mangoes drop in July across all islands. Mango Jam celebrates this with food vendors, cooking demos, mango eating contest. Half-day event, usually at the Honolulu Hale courtyard. Free. ### Big Island Chocolate Festival — May (Kona, Big Island) Kona is one of the few places in the US where cacao actually grows. The festival is a multi-event weekend — chef demos, chocolate-and-pairings dinners, cacao farm tours. Big Island farm-to-bar chocolate is genuinely world-tier. ### Kona Coffee Cultural Festival — early November (Kailua-Kona, Big Island) The longest-running food festival in Hawaii (since 1970). 10-day celebration of Kona coffee with farm tours, cupping competitions, coffee picking contests, the Miss Kona Coffee pageant. **Free admission to most events.** ### Hawaii Tropical Fruit Festival — September (Kona, Big Island) Lychee, rambutan, soursop, mountain apple, jackfruit. Festival shows off the dozens of tropical fruits grown in Hawaii. Cooking demos, fruit ID stations, kid-friendly. Free. ## Wine + drink-specific ### Maui Wine Festival — June (Wailea, Maui) Walk-around tasting on the lawn at the Grand Wailea. ~150 wines from Hawaii's own Maui Wine (volcano-grown) plus visiting California and international labels. ~$125 ticket. ### Honolulu Tequila Festival — June (Honolulu, Oʻahu) Walk-around tequila and mezcal tasting + Mexican food. Indoor venue. ~$85 ticket. ### Maui Brewfest — May (War Memorial, Wailuku, Maui) Maui's craft beer festival. ~30 Hawaiian breweries. Outdoor lawn setting. Family-friendly during the day, then 21+ in the evening. ## The lesser-known ones (locals tip) ### Made in Hawaii Festival — August (Honolulu, Oʻahu) The Made in Hawaii Festival is more than food — it's all things locally produced (food, art, crafts, beauty products). But the food side is huge. Local fishermen, chocolate makers, kombucha brewers, coffee roasters, salt harvesters, all under one roof at the Hawaii Convention Center. **$5 entry**, lasts a full weekend. ### North Shore Country Market — every Saturday year-round (Oʻahu) Not a festival per se, but the best ongoing food market in Hawaii. Every Saturday morning, 8am-12pm, on Pupukea Road. Local farmers, food trucks, prepared foods. Free entry. ### KCC Farmers Market — every Saturday year-round (Diamond Head, Oʻahu) The biggest farmers market in Honolulu. Every Saturday 7:30am-11am. Behind Kapiolani Community College, off Diamond Head Road. Free, parking can be tight. ### Kakaʻako Farmers Market — every Saturday (Honolulu) The newest of the big three. Saturday 8am-12pm. More food trucks, more prepared foods. Free. ### Chefs' Table fundraiser dinners — year-round (various) Hawaii's top chefs (Mavro, Roy Yamaguchi, Lee Anne Wong, etc.) host occasional benefit dinners for local nonprofits. These don't always show up on event sites — they go fast. Keep an eye on AlohaCalendar's [Oʻahu events page](/island/oahu) and the chef-restaurant Instagram feeds. ## Quick planning tips - **Hawaii Food & Wine Festival sells out fast** — be on the email list by July if you want October events. - **Single-ingredient festivals are usually free and family-friendly** — perfect for travelers with kids. - **The Saturday morning farmers markets** are the single highest-leverage food experience in Hawaii. Skip a sit-down brunch in favor of grazing at KCC or Kakaʻako. - **Wine festivals require reservations.** Walk-up isn't a thing. ## See current Hawaii food events We list every confirmed food + culinary event across all islands on: **[Browse all upcoming events →](/events?category=food-drink)** **[Hawaiian Holidays Calendar 2026 →](/blog/hawaiian-holidays-calendar-2026)** **[Free things to do in Honolulu →](/blog/free-things-to-do-in-honolulu)** If you run a food event in Hawaii, [submit your event](/submit) — it's free.