The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival returns in full-force starting today with 10 days full of musical entertainment, artisans and crafters, farm tours, games and activities for the whole family, great food, a cup full of coffee events, and much more.
The first Kona Coffee Festival was held in 1970, making it the longest-running food festival in the Aloha State.
“It all started with a group of businesspeople on the island, from the hotels, airlines and the industry, to put together a festival to honor Kona coffee during the slower November tourism season,” festival president Valerie Corcoran said. “It also corresponds with coffee harvest time.”
The festival opens at 2 p.m. today with the First Friday Festival at Hale Halawai in Historic Kailua Village featuring craft vendors, family friendly activities and food from a variety of food trucks.
As the sun starts to set, the Lantern Parade begins to light up. Festival goers make their way to the best seats along the Alii Drive parade route. Some of the best seats are along the seawall. With its glowing procession of light, music and color, the festival’s Lantern Parade culminates with an evening of song and dance back at Hale Halawai.
On Saturday, is the annual Holualoa Village Coffee and Art Stroll. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Historic Holualoa Village rolls out the welcome mat, with art galleries and shops that have made their home here in this quaint village with its roots in coffee.
Scholarship competitions also take place this weekend. The coveted UCC Hawaii Miss Kona Coffee Scholarship Competition gets underway at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Aloha Theatre. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased online at apachawaii.org.
On Sunday, the Little Miss Kona Coffee Scholarship Competition features Hawaii Island young ladies ages 4 through 17 years of age. Doors open at 2:30 p.m.; competition at 3 p.m. Teen Miss Kona Coffee will also make its debut. For tickets, visit apachawaii.org.
New this year is the UCC Hawaii Konane Challenge, a game that can be learned in minutes but may take a lifetime to master. The challenge starts at 3 p.m. on Sunday at the UCC Hawaii Kona Coffee Estate in Holualoa.
Also on Sunday, the KTA Super Store Recipe Contest returns to Outrigger Kona Resort and Spa and opens its doors at 11 a.m. The tasty Big Island Showcase, featuring local farm and artisan booths gets started at 10 a.m.
For the full schedule of events, as well as farms offering tours, visit konacoffeefest.com.