Fall’s in the air, so prepare to rock! The second annual Kona RocktoberFest, one of several events kicking off the Halloween season, is Oct. 24 at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel.
Fall’s in the air, so prepare to rock! The second annual Kona RocktoberFest, one of several events kicking off the Halloween season, is Oct. 24 at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel.
It’s going to be another great party put on by Doug Mallardi with four of Kona’s favorite local bands, great food and drinks, two costume contests, and a lot of wacky fun served up by the zany mc hosts, the Alohahas.
Building off of last year’s inaugural event, which Mallardi says was “a good event with great turnout,” he has upped the ante this year by adding two more bands and making the musical focus all about rock ‘n’ roll. Kicking off the sound scene will be Maka at 3:30 p.m. followed by Green Machine, then The Dark Room and finishing with one of Konas’ favorite bands, Leche de Tigre. Each band will perform a 75-minute set, so there will be plenty of opportunity to get on the dance floor and rock out.
In addition to music, there are a number of other events planned, including an individual and a team costume contest with $250 cash prizes for each. There will also be a blindfolded “Heiny vs. Steiny” contest. Think you can tell the difference, then come prove it and win liquid prizes.
There will also be a number of fall-based beers and German foods as well, including Samuel Adams Octoberfest and bratwurst provided by the hotel. Once you’ve had enough to drink, get loose by showing everyone your “Chicken Dance.” Mallardi says the Chicken Dance was something he wanted to throw in the mix to make this event unique.
“I wanted to give something to the community that is fun and different,” he said. “This was something I’d been dreaming of doing for a long time — like 10 years — and finally my wife said, ‘quit talking about doing it and get it done.’”
So he did. And we get to enjoy the fruits of his labors at what he calls “Just a big party with lots of live music.”
Doors open at 3 p.m. and the party will run until about 9:30 p.m. Tckets are $30. For more information and tickets, visit www.konarocktoberfest.com. Tickets can also be bought at Kiernan Music, Studio 55 Boutique, Beaches Resort Wear, and the Kona Wine Market.