Hawaii Food & Wine Festivals 2026 — Complete Calendar
Hawaii's Food Festival Scene in 2026
Hawaii's food festival calendar reflects the islands' extraordinary culinary depth — a fusion of Native Hawaiian, Japanese, Filipino, Portuguese, Korean, and American traditions, all sourced from some of the most fertile volcanic soil and productive ocean waters on earth. From high-end wine-pairing dinners on the Kapalua coast to plate lunch throwdowns in Hilo, there's a food event on every island worth building a trip around.
Kapalua Wine & Food Festival — Maui (June)
The Kapalua Wine & Food Festival at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua is one of the premier food-and-wine events in the Pacific. Held each June on Maui's stunning northwest coast, the festival pairs world-class winemakers with Hawaii's top chefs for multi-day dinners, cooking demonstrations, and sunset receptions on the golf cliffs above the Pacific. Tickets sell out quickly — plan months in advance and check the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua website for registration dates.
Hawaii Food & Wine Festival — Multi-Island (September–October)
The Hawaii Food & Wine Festival is the largest annual food event in the state, spanning Oahu, Maui, and sometimes the Big Island across several weeks in fall. The festival features over 100 chefs from Hawaii and the mainland, including James Beard Award winners, at events ranging from intimate farm-to-table dinners to large tasting galas at venues like the Neil Blaisdell Center and the Ko Olina resort complex. Past headlining chefs have included Roy Yamaguchi (the founder of Roy's restaurant), Alan Wong, and visiting celebrity chefs from New York and Los Angeles.
Individual event tickets typically range from $125 to $350. The festival benefits the culinary programs at the University of Hawaii, so proceeds go directly to training the next generation of Hawaii's chefs.
Taste of Honolulu — Downtown Honolulu (June)
Held on the grounds of Honolulu Hale (City Hall), Taste of Honolulu is the city's most accessible food festival — affordable tickets, dozens of local restaurants represented, and live entertainment across a long weekend. It's a great way to sample across the spectrum from high-end hotel kitchens to beloved hole-in-the-wall spots all in one place. Local favorites like Helena's Hawaiian Food, Zippy's, and various ramen shops typically participate.
Eat the Street — Monthly, Kakaako
Eat the Street in Kakaako brings together Honolulu's best food trucks for a monthly evening street festival on the last Friday of most months. With 40-plus vendors, live music, and a rotating theme (past themes have included French cuisine night, Filipino night, and sustainability-focused local farms), this is the most consistent food-festival experience in Honolulu. Free admission, pay per item. Parking at Ward Village or the Blaisdell parking structure nearby.
Kona Coffee Cultural Festival — Big Island (November)
The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival in Kailua-Kona runs for ten days in early November, celebrating the harvest season for one of the world's most prized coffee varietals. Events include farm tours of the lush coffee-growing slopes above Kailua town, cupping competitions that let attendees taste dozens of single-estate Kona coffees side by side, a recipe contest, art show, and the famous Kona Coffee Cultural Festival Parade through downtown Kailua-Kona. Many small farms open their processing facilities for tours — these are among the best agricultural experiences available in Hawaii.
Maui Onion Festival — Kaanapali (May)
The Maui Onion Festival at Whalers Village in Kaanapali celebrates the Maui onion, a sweet, mild variety grown in the volcanic soil of Kula on the slopes of Haleakala. Cooking demonstrations, onion-eating contests, and dishes showcasing the onion's surprising versatility make this a quirky, fun one-day festival. Free to attend; food purchases separate.
Waikoloa Restaurant Week — Big Island (February)
The Waikoloa Restaurant Week on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island features prix-fixe menus at the resort-corridor restaurants from Anaehoomalu Bay north to Kohala. Participating restaurants at the Hilton Waikoloa Village and Waikoloa Beach Marriott offer curated menus at reduced prices, making it an accessible entry point to some of the island's most acclaimed dining rooms. Check the Waikoloa Beach Resort events calendar for exact dates each February.
Tips for Food Festival Planning
- Book early: Hawaii Food & Wine Festival and Kapalua sell out weeks or months in advance.
- Mix paid events with free ones: Eat the Street and the Kona Coffee Festival parade are free.
- Pair with farmers markets: Oahu's KCC Farmers Market (Saturdays) and Maui's Upcountry Farmers Market (Saturdays) run year-round and complement any food-festival trip perfectly.
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