Kaua‘i Calendar of Events

In our first edition of The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook, we listed a calendar of local events for the island. It was a colossal waste of time! Things change so often in Hawaii that we couldn’t keep it current. The Web fixes that. Don’t get me wrong. Some of the events listed below will not occur or will change time or place. That’s because decisions about these things are made quite capriciously in the islands, often the day of the event. We’ll change this page daily if we have to, but you can’t bet your life on the timeliness of these events. Nonetheless, if you’re interested in attending a local event, these might be worth checking into.

On-Going Events

Nightly
Kauai Music Scene one of the best sources to keep up on what’s happening nightly with live music all around the island is www.kauaimusicscene.com.

Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays
Kauai Products Fair outdoor crafts fair in northern Kapa’a, 9am–5pm.

Friday Night is Art Night in Hanapepe with the galleries open for browsing between 5pm and 9pm.

Fridays or Saturdays
Tune Your World to Aloha with a traditional Hawaiian slack key guitar & ukulele concert. FREE gift drawing. Tickets $20 ($15 kids, seniors). At Children of the Land Cultural Center Kauai Village (Safeway/Longs in Kapa’a), 7pm. Call to confirm dates 808-826-1469.

Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays
West Kauai Craft Fair outdoor crafts fair in Waimea on the main highway across from the West Kauai Technology & Visitor Center, 9am–4pm.

Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays
Slack Key Guitar Concerts at the Hanalei Community Center. Friday’s concerts are from 4pm-6pm, Saturday’s are from 5pm-7pm and Sunday’s concerts are from 3pm-5pm. Tickets are $20 ($15 children & seniors). Call 808-826-1469.

First Saturday of Each Month
Kauai Museum in Lihue offers free admission as well as rotating exhibits and classes throughout the month. Call the Museum at 808-245–6931 for additional information.

First Saturday of Each Month
Kapa‘a Town First Saturdays every month merchants and restaurants stay open late and offer many specials that night.

Second Saturday of Each Month
Second Saturday Hanalei Town different events happen each month, from art nights, to music, to hula, to fashion shows, to movies, to children’s theatre. The events are all non-alcohol and community oriented. Many businesses stay open late that night. 4pm-9-pm. Call 808-635-2074.

Sundays
Kealia Sunday Market an all-Kaua’i event with free entertainment, local foods, arts and crafts, with Kaua’i grown produce, plants and flowers. There are no imports at this event. From noon-pm enjoy the music and hula of Ilima Rivera & her halau, followed by great live music by either Kirby Keough or Milani Bieliue, alternating weekly. Call 808-635-5091.

May 2013

May 24-26
Live on Stage “Miss Saigon” is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover. At Kauai Performing Arts Center in Puhi. 7pm. Tickets are $55/$40 online at www.misssaigonkauai.com.

May 24-26
Live on Stage the musical “WORKING” performances at 7pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 4pm on Sundays. There will be a “Pay What You Can” Preview on Thursday, May 2 at 7pm (tickets at the door only). The Puhi Theatrical Warehouse is located at 4411E Kikowaena Street in Puhi, just behind the Harley Davidson dealership. There is a lit marquee. Tickets are $25, with $5 off opening weekend. Visit www.kauaicommunityplayers.org or call 1-800-838-3006.

May 24-26
12th Annual Kauai Polynesian Festival at the Vidinha Stadium soccer field in Lihu‘e. Features Tahitian, Maori, Samoan and Hawaiian entertainment, Polynesian arts and crafts, solo and group dance competitions, food booths, workshops, and much more. $10 daily or $25 for 3-day pass. 24th: 11:30am-9pm, 25th: 11:30am-10:30pm, 26th: 11:30am-6pm. Visit: www.kauaipolynesianfestival.org or call 808-335-6466.

May 26
Pedal to the Meadow is the most challenging official bicycle hill climb race on Kaua‘i. Distance and elevation gain are 15.75 Miles & 3,835 Feet. 6am-11am. Call 808-639-9018.

June 2013

June 1
Ha‘ena to Hanalei Civic Fun Run starts at 6am-1pm. Call 808-635-6311.

June 2
24th Annual Taste of Hawaii: The Ultimate Sunday Brunch 50 chefs from Hawaii, 15 beverage vendors, music, and a silent auction at Smith’s Tropical Paradise in Wailua. The finest Chefs from around the state gather to provide guests with a tasting extravaganza. $100 in advance and $115 at the gate. Visit: www.tasteofhawaii.com.

June 15
King Kamehameha Celebration with our parade which starts at 9am from the Vidinha Stadium parking lot and will travel up Rice St from the Hoolako St intersection, ending on the ground of the Historic County Building. Ho‘olaulea (party) will be held from 10am-2pm on the grounds of the Historic Kauai County Building. Call 808-586-0333.

June 16
Movie in the Park in Princeville at Prince Albert Park for a free family movie. Bring your picnics, blankets and beach chairs. The movie will begin at dusk. Call 808-826-6687.

June 21
Taste of Old Kauai combination of agritourism and ecotourism takes you to the Waipa ahupuaa, one of 67 watersheds homesteaded by the first Polynesians. Guests are saturated in timeless beauty as they learn about Hawaii’s culture and food. Includes lunch, farm tour and fishpond tour. Reservations are required 3 days in advance. 9am-2pm. Call 808-635-0257.

June 26-29
6th Annual Red Clay Jazz Festival Lavay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet Slickers, will be the headline performers. Also featured will be the Maui Jazz Quartet with world-renowned percussionist, Emil Richards, and the Pro-Am Band from Kauai, a 12-piece jazz ensemble. The festival is held in an outdoor setting overlooking the ocean at Kauai Lagoons, with tent seating, lawn seating and several restaurants providing food. Leading up to the main concert will be jazz jam sessions at various Kauai locations on the 26th and 27th, a 2-hour jazz workshop led by Smith on the 27th, and a “Meet the Artists” party on the 28th. For more information and tickets, go to redclayjazz.org. A second ticket is offered at half price if purchased by April 30th. Call 808-822-3148.

July 2013

July 4
24th Annual Concert in the Sky at Vidinha Stadium in Lihu‘e. Opportunities for interaction between residents and visitors with a unique experience as this is the largest aerial fireworks event on Kauai on the 4th of July. Food, keiki activities and live music all day. 4pm-11:45pm. Call 808-652-4101.

July 4
Kekaha 4th of July Celebration enjoy cultural demonstration, live music, exhibits, variety of crafts, a plantation museum and lots of fun game booths and rides for the keiki. Bring a mat and chair – this is a alcohol and drug-free event. 11am-11pm. In Kekaha town. Call 808-634-5248.

July 19
Taste of Old Kauai combination of agritourism and ecotourism takes you to the Waipa ahupuaa, one of 67 watersheds homesteaded by the first Polynesians. Guests are saturated in timeless beauty as they learn about Hawaii’s culture and food. Includes lunch, farm tour and fishpond tour. Reservations are required 3 days in advance. 9am-2pm. Call 808-635-0257.

July 19-28
Koloa Plantation Days over 25 events celebrate the plantation heritage and modern-day vitality of Kauai’s south shore communities of Koloa and Poipu, during this 10-day family-oriented festival. Visit: www.koloaplantationdays.com.

July 20
Movie & BBQ in the Park in Princeville at Prince Albert Park for a free family movie. Bring your picnics, blankets and beach chairs. BBQ plates for $5 begins at 5pm, movie will begin at dusk. Call 808-826-6687.

July 27
Hanalei Bay Swim Challenge swimmers from all the islands as well as the mainland and international visitors will compete in four races. Two races for the Keiki and a 1000 & 3000 meter course. 7am-noon. Call 808-657-9454 or visit www.hanaleibayswimchallenge.com.

August 2013

August 3 & 4
Heiva I Kauai is an international Tahitian dance and drumming competition and festival. Award-winning Tahitian dance group, Te Vai Ura Nui, performs both days. Professional teachers give daily multi-cultural workshops, including Tahitian dance, choreography, drumming and Samoan fire knife dancing which are open to the audience. Vendors feature items from Pacific islands in addition to locally made crafts, island foods and daily silent auctions. Opening ceremonies start at 10am Saturday, with solo competition and group exhibition dancing to follow. Sunday features exhibition dancing and group competition along with award presentations to winners. Admission is $5 a day. Children age 6 and under are admitted free. Gates open at 9 am at Kapa‘a Beach Park. Call 808-822-9447.

August 3 & 4
Paradise Ride Kauai 2013 is an amazing 2-day bike ride—not a race—through some of Kauai’s most breathtaking scenery, along the ocean, through valleys, local neighborhoods and open countryside. Each day the ride is about 55 miles. There is also a “Design Your Own Ride”. Riders get sponsors and money benefits Mālama Pono Health Services. You can also volunteer. Visit www.paradiseridekauai.com.

August 9-11
Kauai Shorts Sixteen to twenty short plays submitted by local, mainland and foreign playwrights, curated by Women In Theatre. Plays are performed and adjudicated over three days at Kauai Community College Performing Arts Center in Puhi. Free event. Call 808-826-9755.

August 18
Movie in the Park in Princeville at Prince Albert Park for a free family movie. Bring your picnics, blankets and beach chairs. The movie will begin at dusk. Call 808-826-6687.

August 23
Taste of Old Kauai combination of agritourism and ecotourism takes you to the Waipa ahupuaa, one of 67 watersheds homesteaded by the first Polynesians. Guests are saturated in timeless beauty as they learn about Hawaii’s culture and food. Includes lunch, farm tour and fishpond tour. Reservations are required 3 days in advance. 9am-2pm. Call 808-635-0257.

August 25
5th Annual Westin Princeville Charity Golf Tournament fundraising golf tournament to benefit Kaua’i charitable organizations. $100 early bird. $125 after July 1st. Call 808-827-8719.

September 2013

September 1
5th Annual Kauai Marathon & Half Marathon begins at 6am on Kaua‘i’s south shore. Call 808-635-3053 or visit www.thekauaimarathon.com.

September 1
‘Aha Hula 2013 5th Annual Lu‘au & Hula Kahiko Concert concert performance of ancient Hawaiian chants and classical dances. General Admission is $40 or $35 for 12 years and under. Only tickets purchased in advance include lu‘au – choice of Hawaiian or Vegetarian. In Kilauea at Common Ground. Noon-5pm. Call 808-346-7574 or visit www.kaieie.org.

September 20
Taste of Old Kauai combination of agritourism and ecotourism takes you to the Waipa ahupuaa, one of 67 watersheds homesteaded by the first Polynesians. Guests are saturated in timeless beauty as they learn about Hawaii’s culture and food. Includes lunch, farm tour and fishpond tour. Reservations are required 3 days in advance. 9am-2pm. Call 808-635-0257.

September 21
Movie in the Park in Princeville at Prince Albert Park for a free family movie. Bring your picnics, blankets and beach chairs. The movie will begin at 7pm. Call 808-826-6687.

September 27-28
15th Annual Kauai Powwow will be held at Kapaa Beach Park. This year’s theme is Rejuvenate Your Spirit: Embracing Our Culture and Tradition. One can uplift their spirit through the power of the drum, dancing, and the rhythm of a Native American Powwow. 4pm-9pm Friday, 10am-7pm Saturday, 10am-5pm Sunday. Call 808-651-7733.