SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
AT SEVENTH ANNUAL WAIMEA FALL FESTIVAL
SET FOR SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10
Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award Winner Ho‘Aikane Will Headline the Day’s Entertainment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Monday, September 28, 2026)

WAIMEA, Hawai‘i Island — Celebrate the fall season with a full day of family fun at the seventh annual Waimea Fall Festival, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, October 10, 2026, at Spencer Kalani Schutte Waimea District Park, located at 67-1315 Ala ‘Ohia Road.

Admission is free. Public parking and wristband sales will begin at 8:30 a.m. Guests are encouraged to bring sunscreen, beach chairs, and jackets. The festival will be held rain or shine.

Hosted by Waimea Athletics, the family-friendly festival will feature live entertainment, a pumpkin patch, indoor and outdoor keiki games and activities, local food and craft vendors, community information booths, exhibits, military and emergency-response displays, and much more.

Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award winner Ho‘Aikane will headline the day’s entertainment, along with a variety of local performers, including the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific Band.
In recognition of America’s 250th anniversary, the festival is planning a special military static display featuring a U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific MV-22B Osprey Tiltrotor aircraft and a Hawaii Army National Guard Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. Pohakuloa Training Area also will display an assortment of tactical vehicles.
Keiki can enjoy train rides, inflatable bounce houses, an obstacle course, laser tag, a dunking booth, and more. New this year are Human Foosball and a Zorb Ball Racetrack, presented by 808 Island Jumpers. Hawai‘i Youth Rodeo will offer horse rides and Alohiakamai will host a free petting zoo.

The County of Hawaiʻi will present an outdoor emergency-response display featuring a fire truck and ambulance and the Department of Human Resources will be on hand with an information table highlighting available County employment opportunities.

The indoor Keiki Game Zone, hosted by the Waimea Cowboys football team, will feature all-day carnival games with a $15 wristband. All-day $25 wristbands can be purchased for the outdoor inflatables, activities, laser tag, and the Kohala Mountain Express Choo Choo Train.

Wristbands can only be purchased on the day of the event at the gym concession booth. Cash and all major credit cards will be accepted.

Food booths will offer a wide variety of mouthwatering dishes, including burgers, sandwiches, adobo, beef lū‘au stew, butter garlic noodles with cheese, coconut lemongrass chicken, duck confit laulau, elote corn bowls, empanadas, ginger-miso-glazed pork belly, hot dogs, jerk chicken, lilikoi garlic-butter shrimp, kalbi ribs, manapua, pad Thai, pancit, pastele stew, poke bowls, poke nachos, pork and peas, shoyu chicken, sushi rolls, tacos, chimichanga plates, tinono, and more.

Refreshing beverages will include açaí specialty drinks, lemonade, smoothies, specialty teas, “crack” drinks originating in Dubai, and Korean fruit punch. Dessert selections will include apple pie, churros, gourmet cookies, ice cream and fried ice cream, malasadas, mini pancakes, mochi, panipopo rolls, shave ice, fresh-baked goods, banana bread, Chex mix, Chinese pretzels, gummy snacks, popcorn, and more.

Local craft vendors will offer a wide selection of items for early holiday shopping, including island-style jewelry, foldable fans, reusable bags, toys, accessories, squishies, collectibles, adult trucker hats, keiki bucket hats, custom quilted jackets and outerwear, towel hoodies and pants, pālaka clothing, pareos, swimwear, welded horseshoe crafts, custom woodwork, laser-cut and engraved wood products, succulents, colorful ceramic jellyfish plant art, and many other unique creations.

All food, craft, and individual activity purchases will be made directly with participating vendors using cash, or the payment methods accepted by each vendor, with the exception of the $25 all-day outdoor activity and $15 indoor Keiki Game Zone wristbands.

Community organizations will be on hand to share information about their programs, services, and resources. Participating organizations include American Legion Post No. 4 Kohala, Discover Your Kuleana, Hawaiʻi Life Flight; Hawaiʻi Loa Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution; Hawaiʻi Wai Ola, Kamehameha Schools, LAUKOA, Mālama Pono Kohala, and Thelma Parker Memorial Public Library.

“The Waimea Fall Festival is about community supporting community,” said Melissa Samura, event coordinator for Waimea Fall Festival. “Guests can interact with members of the military, explore aircraft and emergency-response vehicles up close, and learn about the people who operate them. The festival also creates meaningful opportunities for young people to engage with local business owners, learn what it takes to build a successful business, speak with pilots about the training and qualifications required to fly, and discover government careers and valuable community services.”

In addition, “Every participating youth sports team, club, nonprofit organization, and small business benefits from the exposure and funds raised during this event,” said Samura. “Youth sports teams gain hands-on experience in customer service and fundraising by selling products to help cover team travel and provide opportunities for meaningful competition. We are excited to bring this fun-filled event to our community, and we invite everyone to join us.”

Proceeds from the Waimea Fall Festival enable Waimea Athletics to present the annual community event and to support the Waimea Athletics College Scholarship Fund for students born and raised in Waimea.

For more information, or to volunteer at the Waimea Fall Festival, visit waimeaathletics.org.

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