After two years of pandemic impacts, the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival returns in person, beginning Friday. The popular event was scaled back last year to a mix of in-person and virtual events. And in 2020, it was canceled.
The 10-day festival, which began in 1970, celebrates the culture and heritage of Kona coffee. Events include live entertainment, farm tours, coffee picking, a coffee recipe contest and cultural activities.
Valerie Corcoran, the festival's longtime president, said they’re expecting thousands of people to attend.
“Our goal is to show the culture behind Kona coffee,” she said. “Kona coffee is big business now, but what’s the story of all those farmers waking up early in the morning. Everything was picked by hand. We still do pick coffee by hand. I mean, we had our school system… our vacation was during coffee season, things like that that are unique just to the Kona region.”
The festival kicks off on Nov. 4 with a lantern parade and farm tours and ends on Sunday, Nov. 13. For more information, click here.
