A controversial music festival on Hawai‘i Island has been given the go-ahead despite complaints from neighbors.
The Windward Planning Commission on the Big Island voted last week to approve a request by landowner Andrew Tepper to hold a multi-day music festival on a portion of his 1,400-acre parcel of land in Pāpa‘ikou.
The festival, called “Falls On Fire,” is described in the request as a four-day event “centered on principles of inclusion, gifting, self-reliance, self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility and respect for the environment.” The event is repeatedly compared to the annual “Burning Man” festival in Nevada; similarly, Falls On Fire would also feature the burning of an effigy.
Tepper had previously held Falls On Fire annually since 2023, but had not received proper permits from the county for the event, leading the county Planning Department to fine Tepper’s company, Teppy Mountain LLC, more than $34,000. The Planning Department later stated that Tepper claimed he was unfamiliar with county and state regulations that required a special permit.
At the Planning Commission’s May 14 meeting on the subject, dozens of residents argued the merits and flaws of the festival, echoing the arguments made during a contested case hearing about the subject in November.
“I’ve heard his festivals,” said Pāpa‘ikou resident Eliza Folkman. “It’s been wildly disruptive already. And I believe this raises questions about accountability and commitment to stewardship. When we start turning these lands into venues for big parties or festivals, especially ones that have already ignored the rules and caused problems before, we risk losing something we can’t get back.”
People opposed to the festival complained about the noise from previous events and worried about the potential impact that 500 festivalgoers will have on the single private road that accesses the festival grounds. Others worried that not all attendees will heed rules on the Falls On Fire website urging attendees to not use soap while bathing in streams, leading to pollutants and human waste accumulating downstream.
On the other hand, previous festivalgoers argued that the festival has improved over the years to accommodate neighbor’s complaints.
“Unfortunately, none of us at the camps realized how the sound was carrying,” said Casey Jedynak. “By year two, we organized listening tests and lowered our levels. Looking back, the sound was definitely too loud at times … Going forward, I believe we, the Falls On Fire community, can be more curious about all of it, how loud the music is, where the speakers are directed, what hours the music is playing.”
An attorney for Teppy Mountain, Jake Honigman, said Tepper has agreed to follow most of the recommendations made by the Planning Department, including a commitment to repair any damages caused to the road within a month of the festival, a prohibition on all parking on the road, directing all amplified sounds inland toward the uninhabited portion of Tepper’s land, having at least 5,000 gallons of water onsite for fire suppression, having a sufficient number of portable toilets, and more.
“[Tepper] would explain that he loses money because he provides all of these things for the event like the portable toilets,” Honigman said. “There’s a suggested donation [for attendees], but it doesn’t remotely cover his costs and if people can’t make it, he doesn’t turn them away. This really is about him sharing and giving and bringing people … to the land to experience this festival.”
Ultimately, the commission voted 4-1 in favor of Tepper’s application, albeit with a few additional requirements such as the construction of sound dampening barriers and a 25-foot height limit on whatever effigy is burned.
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