Hawai`i Signature Events Event Name Niche Location Website

Hawai‘i Signature Events
Event Name
The Sony Open in
Hawai‘i
The Mitsubishi
Electric
Championship
Hawaiian Islands
Invitational
Prince Kūhiō
Celebration
Hyundai Tournament
of Champions
Honolulu Festival
Niche
Sports
Sports
Sports
Hawaiian
Culture
Sports
MultiCultural
Location
O‘ahu - Wai‘alae
Hawai‘i Island Hualālai
O‘ahu Aloha Stadium
Website
www.sonyopeninhawaii.com
www.hualalairesort.com/index.cfm/fusea
ction/ig.page/CategoryID/264
www.hawaiianislandsinvitational.com
O‘ahu Downtown Honolulu &
Waikīkī
www.hawaiimaoli.org
Maui - Kapalua
www.kapalua.com/golf/hyundaitournament-champions
Maui, O‘ahu Hawai‘i Convention Center,
Ala Moana Shopping Center,
Waikīkī, Washington Place,
Honolulu Hale
www.honolulufestival.com
Phone
(808)-792-9300
(808) 325-8480
(808) 523-3688
(808) 394-0050
(808) 665-9160
(808) 926-2424
Month
January
January
February
March
March
March
Cost/Fees
Event Description
Cost varies
The Sony Open is a professional golf tournament on the
PGA Tour, which is part of the tour's FedEx Cup Series. It
is the second overall event and the first full-field event
on the PGA Tour schedule.
Cost varies
This event is a golf tournament on the Champions Tour.
The field consists of the senior major champions of the
last five years and other tournament winners of the last
two years.
Cost varies
The Hawaiian Islands Invitational is an international
professional men's soccer event held at Aloha Stadium
in Honolulu, Hawai’i. The annual event features four
games over a two-day period and hosts squads from
around the globe. The Hawaiian Islands Invitational is
carried on ESPN3.com and on a number of ESPN
International networks.
Free
Cost varies
During the month of March, the Association of Hawaiian
Civic Clubs honors its founder Prince Jonah Kūhiō
Kalaniana‘ole, who is also referred to as the "Citizen
Prince." The month-long celebration includes parades,
lū‘au (Hawaiian feasts), holokū (formal Hawaiian dress)
balls, chorale concerts, commemorative ceremonies,
and Hawaiian music performances.
The Hyundai Tournament is the opening event of golf's
PGA Tour season. The field is restricted to golfers who
won a tournament on the tour during the previous
season.
This festival promotes cultural harmony and
understanding, and celebrates the diversity of cultures
by welcoming visitors and residents to present,
Most events are
participate in, and enjoy traditional Japanese, Hawaiian,
free and open to
and other cultural Pacific Rim performances on Maui
the public
and O‘ahu. In addition to cultural performances,
exhibits, and demonstrations, the festival features a
Grand Parade through Waikīkī.
Hawai‘i Signature Events
Event Name
Merrie Monarch
Festival
Mele Mei
King Kamehameha
Celebration
Pan-Pacific Festival
Maui Film Festival
Prince Lot Hula
Festival
Niche
Hawaiian
Culture
Hawaiian
Culture
Hawaiian
Culture
MultiCultural
Film
Hawaiian
Culture
Location
Hawai‘i Island Edith Kanaka‘ole Tennis
Stadium
O‘ahu Honolulu & Waikīkī
Statewide Hawai‘i Island, Maui,
O‘ahu, Kaua‘i
O‘ahu Waikīkī (Kalākaua Avenue,
Royal Hawaiian Center, Kūhiō
Beach Hula Mound, Pacific
Beach Hotel); Ala Moana
Center
Maui Wailea Resort (Wailea);
Maui Arts & Cultural
Center (Kahului)
O‘ahu Moanalua Gardens
Website
www.merriemonarch.com
melemei.com
hawaii.gov/dags/kamehameha
www.pan-pacific-festival.com
www.mauifilmfestival.com
www.moanaluagardensfoundation.org
Phone
(808) 935-9168
(808) 388-0559
(808) 586-0333
(808) 926-8177
ext. 280
(808) 579-9244
(808) 497-4084
Dates
March
May
June
June
June
July
Cost/Fees
Event Description
Cost varies
This hula competition honors the legacy of King David
Kalākaua who played a significant role in the
perpetuation of hula as a Native Hawaiian practice. The
week-long event features hula shows, a craft fair, an art
show, and a grand parade through the town of Hilo. The
festivities culminate in a three-night hula competition.
Cost Varies
Mele Mei is a celebration of Hawaiian music (and
Hawai‘i's music). Established in May 2011, Mele Mei
showcases Hawaiian music and hula events throughout
the entire month of May. The events are held
throughout Waikīkī and take place at various hotels,
venues, and beachparks.
Free
June 11th of each year is designated a public holiday to
honor the memory of Kamehameha the Great, who
united all of the Hawaiian Islands. Events include the
Kamehameha Day parade, arts and crafts displays, and
lei draping ceremonies on statues of Kamehameha in
three locations across the Islands.
Most events are
free and open to
the public
This festival is an annual international cultural
celebration featuring an eclectic assortment of cultural
arts, crafts, and stage performers from Hawai‘i and
around the world. The event aims to cultivate
intercultural friendships, goodwill, and understanding.
Visitors and residents participate in events that
include a ho‘olaule‘a (celebration), stage events, an
arts and crafts fair, a hula festival, and a parade
through Waikīkī.
Cost varies
A celebration of film, culinary arts, and Hawaiian
culture, this festival has drawn national acclaim for its
film premiere and screenings, as well as special events
including an opening night Moon Dance, Taste of
Chocolate, Taste of Wailea, festival tributes, and underthe-stars film screenings.
Free
This festival is held in honor of Prince Lot Kapuāiwa
(Kamehameha V) who reigned as King of Hawai‘i in the
late 1800s. The festival is a non-competitive hula event
that takes place on an authentic hula mound at
Moanalua Gardens and includes cultural
demonstrations and educational activities.
Hawai‘i Signature Events
Event Name
Kōloa Plantation Days
Aloha Festivals
Hawai‘i Food & Wine
Festival
Ironman World
Championship
Xterra World
Championship
Niche
MultiCultural
Hawaiian
Culture
Cuisine
Location
Kaua‘i Kōloa Town &
Po‘ipū Beach
Statewide Hawai‘i Island, Maui,
Lāna‘i, Moloka‘i , O‘ahu,
Kaua‘i
O‘ahu - Honolulu
Sports
Hawai‘i Island Kona
Sports
Hawai‘i Island Mākena
Website
www.koloaplantationdays.com
www.alohafestivals.com
www.hawaiifoodandwinefestival.com
ironmanworldchampionship.com
www.xterraplanet.com/maui/index.html
Phone
(808) 652-3217
(808) 923-1094
(808) 738-6245
(808) 329-0063
(877) 751-8880
Dates
July
September
September
October
October
Cost/Fees
Event Description
Cost varies
This nine-day festival in July welcomes visitors and
residents to a celebration that commemorates
plantation life on the island of Kaua‘i, and includes over
25 family-friendly events. Featured are cultural
performances, plantation era talks and exhibits, film
nights, craft fairs, local food events, outdoor activities
exploring the area, sporting events, keiki (children) and
family activities, the Plantation Days Rodeo, evening
ho‘olaule‘a (celebration), and a historic parade and park
celebration. Founded in 1835, Kōloa Plantation was
Hawai‘i’s first sugar cane plantation where laborers
from Asia and Europe lived together and shared the
traditions of their homelands.
Free
Aloha Festivals is a Hawaiian cultural event that
showcases Hawai‘i's music, dance, history, and
traditions in the fall of each year. This event, held on the
islands of Hawai‘i, Maui, Lāna‘i, Moloka‘i, O‘ahu, and
Kaua‘i, includes events such as the Royal Court
Investiture, a ho‘olaule‘a (celebration), the Aloha
Festivals signature parade, and opening ceremonies.
Cost varies
The Hawai‘i Food & Wine Festival celebrates Hawai‘i's
regional cuisine and premier island chefs during
Hawai‘i's fall shoulder period. It features a roster of
internationally-renowned master chefs, culinary
personalities, and wine and spirit producers. Visitors
and residents are able to participate in events during
this festival, which showcases dishes using Hawai‘i's
local produce, seafood, beef, and poultry.
Cost varies
The Ironman World Championship is a long distance
triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run)
that takes place in Kona on Hawai‘i Island, and extends
to Hāwī and back. It is the annual culmination of a series
of Ironman triathlon qualification races that are held
throughout the world.
Cost varies
This event Is a culmination of Xterra series off-road
triathlon races around the world that include swimming,
mountain biking, and trail running.
Hawai‘i Signature Events
Event Name
EA Sport Maui
Invitational
Hawai‘i International
Film Festival
Niche
Location
Sports
Maui Lahaina Civic Center
Film
Kona Coffee Cultural
Multi-Cultural
Festival
Xterra Trail Running
World Championship
Sheraton Hawai‘i
Bowl
Diamond Head
Classic
Sports
O‘ahu Regal Dole Cannery
Theaters, Hawai‘i Theatre
Center, Waikīkī Beach
Hawai‘i Island Kailua-Kona, Keauhou,
Hōlualoa
O‘ahu Kualoa Ranch
Sports
O‘ahu Aloha Stadium
Sports
O‘ahu Stan Sheriff Arena
Website
www.mauiinvitational.com
www.hiff.org
www.konacoffeefest.com
www.xterraplanet.com/xduro/champions
hip.html
www.sheratonhawaiibowl.com
www.diamondheadclassic.com
Phone
(847) 850-1818
(808) 792-1577
(Contact by email)
(877) 751-8880
(808) 523-3688
(808) 523-3688
Dates
October
October
November
December
December
December
Cost/Fees
Event Description
Cost varies
Hosted by Chaminade University, the Maui Invitational
Tournament is an annual pre-season college basketball
tournament fielding of eight NCAA Division I men's
basketball teams.
Cost varies
This international film festival showcases film
productions from the Asia-Pacific region. The festival
includes Hawai‘i-produced films, discussions with the
filmmakers, award presentations, and special events.
Visitors and residents can enjoy screenings of certain
films that are not available through any other venue in
Hawai‘i.
Since its inception in 1970, this festival has sought to
preserve, perpetuate, and promote Kona's unique 183year coffee heritage. With nearly 50 events offered over
Many events are 10 days, there is something for everyone from coffee
free or
drinkers, to connoisseurs, to multi-generational families.
accessible with a The festival's key events include a Coffee & Art Stroll,
$3 festival
Cupping Competition, Farm & Mill Tours, and
button
International Lantern Parade. Or you may choose to
explore the cafés, shopping, and community of Kona's
coffee country with a self-guided driving tour brochure.
The event attracts about 8,000 visitors and residents.
Cost varies
The Xterra Trail Running World Championship is an offroad half-marathon held at Kualoa Ranch, on the east
side of O‘ahu. The event also hosts 5km and 10km trail
runs, a free kids race, and an adventure walk.
Cost varies
The Hawai‘i Bowl is a post-season NCAA Football Bowl
Subdivision college game. The game matches teams
from Conference USA and WAC member schools. As
part of the agreement with the WAC, a "Hawai‘i
guarantee" allows the University of Hawai‘i the Hawai‘i
Bowl bid, regardless of its standings in the WAC,
provided that the school is bowl eligible and doesn't
qualify for the BCS.
Cost varies
The Diamond Head Classic is a three-day, eight team
invitational college basketball tournament hosted by the
University of Hawai‘i.