Mark your calendars—and your procuring lists. The Made in Hawaii Festival returns to Oʻahu from August 15–17, 2025, and this 12 months’s 31st annual celebration guarantees to be the most important and greatest but. Sponsored by Hawaiian Airlines, the pageant is a can’t-miss weekend of tradition, craftsmanship, and group spirit.
Every year, this signature occasion transforms Oʻahu right into a hub of native innovation and custom. It’s greater than a market—it’s a celebration of all the pieces that makes Hawaiʻi distinctive. From handcrafted jewellery and trend to small-batch connoisseur treats, the Made in Hawaii Pageant is a one-stop showcase for over 400 native entrepreneurs.
Guests wander by means of rows of colourful cubicles, chatting with makers, tasting samples, and discovering one-of-a-kind finds. Whether or not you’re trying to find the right memento or supporting small companies, that is your probability to expertise the soul of Hawai‘i by means of the eyes of its creators.
A Pageant Rooted in Native Pleasure
The Made in Hawaii Pageant started in 1995, because of the imaginative and prescient of the Hawaii Meals Trade Affiliation (HFIA) to highlight native companies. What began as a easy concept to help homegrown merchandise has grown into one in all Hawaiʻi’s most beloved annual occasions.
Held every August, the pageant coincides with “Statehood Weekend,” a three-day celebration marking Hawaiʻi’s admission because the 50th U.S. state. The third Friday of August is a state vacation, and it brings hundreds of customers, households, and guests to Honolulu for a protracted weekend of procuring, tasting, and revelry.
Made in Hawaii and Nowhere Else
The Made in Hawaii Pageant has a strict requirement that all the pieces bought have to be genuinely made right here. They received’t put up with branding or slapping a “Hawaiian” label on imported items. Distributors should have the ability to show their creations — each lei, print, or jar of liliko‘i butter — are produced domestically— utilizing native assets and labor at any time when doable.
In a world the place souvenirs are sometimes mass-produced and imported, this high quality management ensures authenticity and cultural integrity. It additionally makes the pageant a really perfect vacation spot for guests desirous to take residence a really distinctive merchandise that was made in Hawai‘i.
Distributors must show their gadgets are Made in Hawaii
Supporting Native Farmers and Companies
For native entrepreneurs, the pageant is extra than simply an annual occasion — it’s a crucial enterprise alternative. Many distributors, together with native artisans, report that the Made in Hawaii Pageant gives a good portion of their annual gross sales. It additionally helps them navigate new paths with wholesale patrons and retail companions.
For instance, a small cleaning soap firm primarily based in Maui might begin out promoting on-line or at farmers markets. Via the pageant, it could actually introduce its line to hundreds of attendees and presumably achieve entry to nationwide or worldwide retailers.
Hawaiian meals distributors use the occasion to showcase culinary improvements, non-traditional flavors, or take a look at new recipes. Taro chips, freshly-made poi, connoisseur sauces, jams, drinks infused with native fruits— the pageant is an oasis for foodies. The occasion is famend for its culinary delights, providing a wide range of distinctive and scrumptious meals choices. Distributors usually obtain press protection for his or her artistic culinary improvements.
Just a few to look out for which have used the Made in Hawaii Pageant to springboard success:
- Massive Island Candies: Home made Treats – Should you’ve ever tasted their melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies, you recognize they’re one thing particular. Made proper in Hilo, their treats are handcrafted and elegantly packaged. And sure, their cookie showroom is a dream.Take a look at their product line here.
- Hawaiian Solar – A staple in each native fridge, Hawaiian Solar juices are iconic. With flavors like Cross-O-Guava and Lilikoi Ardour, every can delivers a burst of island taste. Order Hawaiian Sun online.
- Liko Lehua – What began as a small operation in Hilo has blossomed right into a beloved model of tropical-flavored fruit butters. Every jar is hand-poured and stuffed with aloha. Additionally they run an enthralling farm and restaurant. Learn more about them here.
Many distributors use the pageant to increase their buyer base.
A Cultural Melting Pot
Hawaiʻi is likely one of the most numerous locations on this planet, with a wealthy cultural combine that features Native Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese language, Filipino, Portuguese, Korean, Polynesia and lots of different influences. The Made in Hawaii Pageant is a dwelling embodiment of this multiculturalism. Every sales space tells a narrative. The lei maker continues a centuries-old household custom. A contemporary designer places a recent spin on Hawaiian print clothes. A woodworker shapes koa into heirloom-quality items.
Sustainability and Custom
Lately, sustainability has grow to be a central theme on the pageant. Hawaiʻi imports greater than 85% of its meals and shopper items, so supporting native producers performs an important function in constructing a extra resilient and self-sufficient financial system. By giving native farms, fishermen, artists, and creators a stage, the pageant encourages residents and vacationers to consider the place their merchandise come from — and to make aware selections that help the land and the folks.
Many distributors incorporate conventional Hawaiian practices equivalent to lauhala weaving, kapa making, or use of endemic crops and bushes. These traditions aren’t simply preserved — they’re being innovated and made related to right this moment’s world, all whereas honoring their origins.
There are actually hundreds of things on the market.
Meals and Beverage
The pageant is a foodie paradise with a spread of culinary delights crafted by native artisans. From do-it-yourself marinara sauce to artisanal tofu, and from conventional Hawaiian dishes to trendy fusion delicacies, there’s one thing to fulfill each palate and dietary desire. One phrase of recommendation: come to the pageant hungry.
Leisure and Actions
The Made in Hawaii Pageant is a feast for the senses, that includes trend designers and dwell award-winning music and performances that remember the wealthy cultural tapestry of Hawaii. Slack key guitar, metal guitar, ukulele, hula hālau. They’re all right here. The schedule is full of cultural programming that blends custom with innovation, giving everybody a greater understanding of what makes Hawaiʻi particular.
Attendees can take pleasure in performances by recipients of the distinguished Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, sometimes called the “Grammys of Hawaiian music.”With a deal with selling Hawaiian tradition and creativity, the pageant gives a variety of actions and leisure choices for all ages.
Getting There and Parking
The Hawai‘i Conference Middle is conveniently situated at 1801 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815. On-site parking is offered with charges beginning at $10 per day. For many who want public transportation, TheBus has a number of routes that cease close by, guaranteeing a clean journey to the pageant. Should you’re utilizing ride-sharing providers, the pageant has a chosen drop-off and pick-up space to make your arrival and departure seamless. To plan your journey, go to the pageant’s web site and use the interactive map to get exact instructions and navigate the positioning.
Lodging and Journey
Planning to remain in a single day in Honolulu? The Made in Hawaii Festival has partnered with a number of native motels to supply particular charges for attendees. Go to the pageant’s web site to ebook your lodging and benefit from unique reductions. For these touring from neighboring islands, Hawaiian Airlines affords particular fares for pageant attendees with the promo code “MIHF2025.” These partnerships make it simpler and extra economical for everybody to hitch within the festivities, whether or not you’re an area or visiting from one other island.
The Customer Expertise
For somebody attending the pageant for the primary time, it may be a sensory overload to navigate. Rows of stalls, every yet one more colourful than the following, make it straightforward to spend hours searching. Some distributors, together with native artisans, give dwell demonstrations of their craft, equivalent to hand-printing material, carving, or baking treats on the spot. Browsers are greeted with aloha and handled to a spirit of hospitality that defines the Hawaiian expertise. It’s frequent to see multi-generational households attending collectively, vacationers mingling with locals, and long-time festival-goers returning 12 months after 12 months.
Increasing Past Oʻahu and Honolulu
Whereas the pageant takes place on Oʻahu, its attain extends all through Hawaii and past. Many distributors hail from Maui, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi Island, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi — bringing their distinct regional flavors and kinds to the massive stage. Lately, with the rise of on-line procuring and digital occasions, the Made in Hawaii Pageant has additionally expanded into the digital area. Throughout COVID, organizers launched a digital model, permitting folks from throughout the globe to buy native Hawaiian merchandise on-line. This digital part continues and it expanded the pageant’s attain enormously.
Seeking to the Future
Because the Made in Hawaii Pageant continues to develop and evolve, its mission stays the identical: to have a good time the creativity, resilience, and innovation of Hawaiʻi’s folks. With elevated emphasis on sustainability and cultural preservation, the pageant is greater than only a procuring occasion — it’s a mannequin for the way communities can select to help each other and develop collectively.
Efforts are additionally underway to coach youthful generations and get them concerned within the pageant. Faculties and youth applications are sometimes invited to carry out or take part in workshops, and extra distributors are mentoring apprentices or members of the family to move on their expertise.
Closing Ideas
The Made in Hawaii Pageant on Oʻahu is rather more than a weekend occasion — it’s a cultural establishment. Designed to foster group, help innovation, and preserve the spirit of aloha alive, entrepreneurship and artistry are on full show. Attending is an opportunity to expertise the true soul of Hawaiʻi — by means of meals, music, folks, and deep-rooted traditions. You’ll depart with greater than only a bag of goodies — you’ll take residence a deeper appreciation for the sweetness and variety of Hawaiʻi.
Suggestions for Attendees
To benefit from your expertise on the Made in Hawaiʻi Pageant:
- Plan Forward: Evaluation the listing of exhibitors and occasion schedule beforehand to prioritize the cubicles and performances you want to attend.
- Keep Hydrated: Honolulu’s local weather will be heat and humid in August. Carrying a reusable water bottle is really helpful.
- Carry Reusable Luggage: With quite a few procuring alternatives, having reusable luggage is each sensible and environmentally pleasant.
- Interact with Distributors: Take the time to study their creations and the tales behind them. Many distributors are captivated with their crafts and are desperate to share their information.
