Food festival · Kailua-Kona, Big Island
Kona Coffee Cultural Festival
Hosted by Kona Coffee Cultural Festival
Dates
The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is Hawaiʻi's oldest food festival — a 10-day November celebration of 100% Kona coffee and the families who grow it. Spread across the Kona district, it features a coffee-cupping competition, a lantern parade, a coffee & art stroll, a Made in Hawaiʻi artisan market, a scholarship competition, and a Hoʻolauleʻa finale at Makaeʻo Pavilion, honoring the heritage of Kona's century-old coffee farms.
Food & vendors: Kona coffee farmers, a Made in Hawaiʻi artisan market, prepared food, and local products; cupping competition, coffee & art stroll, and a Hoʻolauleʻa finale.
Parking & access: A ~$10 festival button covers the Hoʻolauleʻa; many sub-events are free or low-cost. Geographically distributed across the Kona district — parking is venue-specific.
About food festivals
Hawaii's food festivals celebrate a signature crop or local specialty — 100% Kona coffee, the sweet Kula onion, summer lychee, or the islands' love of SPAM. Expect farmers and producers, chef demonstrations, tastings, and artisan markets.
Many are tied to a harvest season and double as community fundraisers. Some are single-day street festivals; others, like the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival, run for a week or more across multiple venues.
- Come hungry and bring cash for tastings and vendor booths.
- Harvest dates shift year to year — confirm the current date before you go.
Source: Official Kona Coffee Cultural Festival site (festival + vendors pages). Bon dance dates and times can change — confirm with the temple before you go.