Get your fix of locally made goods this summer when the Hawaiian Airlines presents the 32nd Annual Made in Hawai‘i Festival returns to Honolulu.
Shoppers should note, though, that the days and times of the festival have changed from previous years.
The event will be held Aug. 20 to 23 at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, 1801 Kalākaua Ave.:
- Thursday, Aug. 20, 6:30 to 10 p.m. Huaka‘i by Hawaiian VIP Pre-Show Buying Party. This is open to the public with limited ticket availability, and includes registered retail buyers, sponsors and VIP ticket holders.
- Friday, Aug. 21, 6:30 to 10 p.m. Preview night. Open to the public with limited ticket availability.
- Saturday, Aug. 22, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. General admission.
- Sunday, Aug. 23, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. General admission.
“Due to active and ongoing construction at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, vendors and guests will not have access onsite until after 5:30 p.m. on weekdays,” MIHF spokesperson Olena Heu told Aloha State Daily in an email. “So, we opted to provide shopping options for Thursday and Friday night. With that, we expanded our dates of the festival to include Thursday for the buyers’ hours, sponsors and etc.”
Traditionally, that Friday is a state holiday — Statehood Day is Aug. 21 this year — and the festival would be open all day, she noted. But since access isn’t available until 5:30 p.m., “we decided to open at 6:30 p.m. and expanded the end time to 10 p.m.”
As for other changes to note this year, Heu says there will be special signage and designation for Native Hawaiian- and wahine-owned businesses and for those who manufacture their products within the Islands.
“The special distinction allows for clarity when it comes to comparing designed in Hawai‘i with manufactured in Hawai‘i; and we also want to provide additional transparency for our guests to learn more about who the vendors are and what their ownership and focus look like,” she says.
MIHF is produced by the Hawai‘i Food Industry Association, or HFIA.
“For more than 30 years, the Made in Hawaiʻi Festival has served as the state’s premier showcase for locally made products, connecting thousands of residents and visitors with Hawaiʻi’s most innovative producers, artisans, and food and beverage companies,” the festival website notes. “What began as a platform to support local businesses has evolved into one of Hawaiʻi’s most anticipated annual events and a critical economic driver for hundreds of companies statewide.”
A record-breaking MIHF drew approximately 70,000 attendees and generated approximately $10 million in sales in 2024. About 70,000 visitors over three days last year and vendors reported sales just under $10 million, Heu says.
The HFIA and Servco Foundation, along with MIHF ticket purchasers, donated a total of $30,000 to the Hawai‘i Foodbank and The Food Basket DA BUX program last year, she noted, adding that the festival will partner with Hawai‘i Food Bank and The Food Basket again this year.
Tickets for this year’s festival go on sale Aug. 1, with vendor highlights, special announcements, new features and on-stage performances to be announced on social media in July.
For tickets, event schedule and updates, visit madeinhawaiifestival.com or follow @madeinhi.
(ICYMI: Aloha State Daily spoke with several vendors during last year’s event. You can read more here).
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
