A guide
Cultural festivals in Hawaii
Multi-day cultural festivals blending food, music, dance, and craft — from Pacific Rim exchanges to Okinawan and pan-Pacific celebrations.
About cultural festivals
Hawaii's cultural festivals gather food, performing arts, craft, and community across a weekend or longer. Many trace to the islands' Japanese, Okinawan, and broader Asia-Pacific communities and feature taiko, hula, bon dance, and street-food booths.
Some are free block parties and some are ticketed convention-center markets. Come for the performances and stay for the food booths, craft vendors, and local-product marketplaces.
If it's your first time
- Check admission before you go — marketplace and convention-center events may charge entry.
- Parking fills early — rideshare or transit is usually easier.
- Schedules and venues can shift year to year; confirm before you go.
All cultural festivals, by date
Cultural festivalMade in Hawaiʻi Festival
Hawaiʻi Food Industry Association / Made in Hawaiʻi Festival · Honolulu
Cultural festivalOkinawan Festival
Hawaii United Okinawa Association (HUOA) · Honolulu
Celebration of the Arts
The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua · Kapalua
Cultural festivalAloha Festivals Waikīkī Hoʻolauleʻa
Aloha Festivals · Waikīkī, Honolulu
Honolulu Mid-Autumn Festival
Chinatown 808 · Honolulu
Richard Hoʻopiʻi Leo Kiʻekiʻe Falsetto Contest
The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua / Festivals of Aloha Maui Nui · Kapalua
Waimea Paniolo Parade & Hoʻolauleʻa
Aloha Festivals Island of Hawaiʻi · Waimea
Festivals of Aloha, Molokaʻi
Festivals of Aloha · Kaunakakai
Festivals of Aloha Hāna Parade & Hoʻolauleʻa
Festivals of Aloha Maui Nui · Hāna
Eo e Emalani i ke Alakaʻi Festival
Hui o Laka (Kōkeʻe Natural History Museum) · Kōkeʻe
Waimea Valley Makahiki Festival
Waimea Valley · Haleiwa
Lights on Rice Parade
Rotary Club of Kauaʻi Foundation · Līhuʻe
Honolulu City Lights
Mayor's Office of Culture and the Arts, City & County of Honolulu · Honolulu
Chinatown Festival & Parade
Chinatown 808 · Honolulu
Waimea Town Celebration Hoʻolauleʻa
West Kauaʻi community organizers · Waimea
Maui Whale Festival — World Whale Day
Pacific Whale Foundation · Kīhei
Prince Kūhiō Day Lei-Draping Ceremony
Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs · Honolulu
Lei Day Celebration
City & County of Honolulu, Department of Parks and Recreation · Honolulu
Flores de Mayo & Filipino Fiesta
Filipino Community Center (Filipino Jaycees of Honolulu) · Waipahu
Kawaii Kon
Kawaii Kon · Honolulu